


Terrors in Subnautica

by fluffybuns77



Series: Terrors In Subnautica Series/Universe [1]
Category: PewDiePie - Fandom, Subnautica - Fandom, Youtubers, gamers - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: AU, Egos, F/M, Game world insert, Isekai, Mutants, Subanutica, XReader, YouTubers - Freeform, chase brody - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 69,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23655793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffybuns77/pseuds/fluffybuns77
Summary: I don't own Subnautica, Jacksepticeye, or any of the other people/youtubers mentionedThis is a Jacksepticeye x FemaleReader fanfictionI originally wrote/posted this on Wattpad under the same username.**Sam, Beth, and Tessa are made up characters, I did not base them on actual people. Also in this Universe if Jack is dating anyone when you read this they exist but ended up dating someone else.**Warnings: Violence, curse words, injury, death, isolation, and scars.During a dark time in the world, a mysterious group of people kidnapped well know public figures of all kinds. Trapping them on 'man made' planets attempting to force the rest of the human race to act and do the right thing for the people and Earth.You are one of the unlucky captives.On the planet based on the game 'Subnautica' you and several YouTube personalities must fight to survive.
Relationships: JackSepticEye/Reader, Markiplier/Amy, PewDiePie/Marzia, SamOC/BethOC
Series: Terrors In Subnautica Series/Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878835
Comments: 26
Kudos: 69





	1. A Subnautic Reality

Author's Note: **Y/N** is your name **N/N** is your nick name. For most of this story the others will refer to you by **N/N** until there is enough trust between the characters to share your real name. (I published this on Wattpad first, sorry my style is weird)

**Third Person POV**

She felt a little sore, very uncomfortable, and a little motion sick. Out of confusion she shifted to open her eyes. She suddenly realized she was both strapped into a chair and sitting in a completely unfamiliar room. Immediately her eyes lock on the man strapped into the chair across from her, what the fuck is going on here?

Looking around the small room she felt it was somehow familiar. There was a small odd looking machine on the wall beside the man, with a small floor cabinet behind the ladder in the center leading directly to an escape hatch both below and above it. Directly to her left was a fire extinguisher, but that was the only item not entirely welded down in the small pod.

She felt a slight buzz on the side of her head before a clear screen came up in front of her reading 'input name' with a transparent keyboard. Touching her head she felt a small bump by her temple she could only assume was some kind of implant causing her to see the screen.

Not really knowing what to do, and not trusting the situation she typed her nickname into the nonexistent screen, it beeping in response. Suddenly a multitude of stats and numbers came up right at the edges of her vision. A message popped up lingering for a moment announcing 'Achievement Unlocked: First Survivor Awake' before leaving a small symbol in the upper right corner. Just under the previous screen were stats she could only assume to be health, hunger, thirst, and... oxygen? The already unsettling situation only worsened with that concept in mind.

To the upper left there was the word 'Players' followed by '1/?' Just above the title 'Psychological/Physical Doctor' which seemed to be the only part she felt she completely understood. She wasn't called a prodigy for nothing.

Unbuckling the seat belt she realized she was still wearing her clothes from when she had passed out in the street. Try as she might she couldn't remember when or why she had passed out, only that she had. Water and what looked to be sand could be seen through the window on the bottom hatch, and blue sky through the one above. She needed answers, so she knew the only option was to climb out of the pod to try and figure out where they were.

Climbing the ladder and pushing the door open, she pulled herself out immediately taking notice of several other life pods just close enough to swim to. They were obviously life pods, though more likely escape pods. But escape pods from what? She hadn't been in any kind of ship until having woken up here. She somehow knew what this place was, it was on the tip of her tongue, but still couldn't quite reach the memory.

A sudden explosion nearly threw her off the pod, causing her her to catch herself on the hatch. Once steady she whipped herself around to see what had happened. The breath caught in her lungs, as her blood ran cold. It was the Aurora, or rather what's left of it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, this is the exact wreckage from Subnautica. She finally knew why this place was so familiar. Reigning in her frantic mind, she reminded herself panicking wouldn't get her anywhere. She needed to be calm and logical about staying alive; after all there's a familiar unconscious face still waiting inside the life pod. She needed to wake him up before making any real decisions.

Climbing back into the pod she decided to look through the storage container first. Inside of it was one regular knife, one heated knife, one of those hand held propellers, blankets, and two body suits with flippers. Assuming it would be a lot less awkward to change now instead of when he wakes up she pulled everything out and put on the suit that looked to be closer to her size, storing her real clothes in the container.

The moment she had thought about making a bag to carry the items two floating bags appeared by the storage box. It seemed as though they had been camouflaged up until this point. Obviously whomever kidnapped them had thought of just about everything.

Since she made no attempt to put the items inside they seemed to disappear again, but she knew they were still there. Just then she noticed two little flying cameras that looked as though they could be waterproof in the corners of the pod. One facing her the other facing her sleeping companion.

They were being watched.

Whatever sick fuck had put them here apparently wanted to keep track of them. Just like the bags they suddenly camouflaged themselves. Great, how's she ever going to use the bathroom knowing there's not privacy here? Shaking her head, she wondered why her mind needed to wonder to things that didn't really matter.

Trying to remain calm she walked over to the young man and lightly shook his shoulder attempting to wake him. As his eyes opened and panic started to settle in she hoped he couldn't see the fear in her eyes. Hopefully he wouldn't think she was the one who'd put them here.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Breathe. Is there a screen in front of you?"

After a moment, he nodded slightly,"Yeah, it just popped up out of nowhere. Where are we? What's going on?"

"Input a name and the screen will go away. It's not really there so you won't feel it when you try to type. I wish I knew what was going on, believe me if I knew I'd tell you. But right now we need to focus on staying calm."

He motioned as if typing on a computer before looking back up at her. The symbols went from '1/?' To '2/?' on her vision screen.

"It says I'm the second one awake."

"Yeah, it told me I was the first when I woke up too. I wish it would tell us how many people there are."

Sitting up straighter he seemed much more confused then panicked now, thank goodness he's level headed.

"I don't know much but I can tell you what I've found out. We're in an escape pod floating in an ocean. There are other pods close by but a bit of a swim away. Whoever put us here is watching us because I saw cameras flying about watching us before camouflaging themselves. I also found bags that do the same thing which I'm assuming will be for us to use."

He sat at rapt attention as she continued to speak, taking in and considering every word, thinking both quickly and loudly.

"I know this is going to sound absolutely crazy, but we're in some kind of recreation of the game Subnautica. I saw the Aurora wreckage with my own eyes. I don't know how this is happening or why but we need to survive. Obviously the best way to start is by finding and waking up the others, before trying to get organized."

Staring at her in shock he swallowed hard. Looking around the pod she saw the reality of the situation set in. Looking back to her he took a deep breath and stretched out his hand.

"I guess if we're going to have to survive together we should learn each other's names."

She shook his hand and they're names immediately became visible to each other, seeming to hover holographically above they're heads.

"Nice to meet you, Seán." She mumbled

"You too, N/N." He whispered back

After a moment of pause they let go and he unbuckled himself to stand up. She picked up the items from the storage to show him.

"This was in the storage. You should probably change. Only one of these knives is heated, do you want that one?"

"Uh, sure. Wouldn't that one be more useful though? Maybe you should keep it."

She chuckled lightly,"I know my way around knives pretty damn well. It would be better for you to have that advantage."

He thanked her as he took it and examining it momentarily. She climbed out the top of the pod to give him some privacy, and stood staring at the mess that was the Aurora. Whatever was going on, they needed to find answers.


	2. Survivors Gather

**Third Person POV**

N/N sat staring at the Aurora when Seán finally came up from the pod. As soon as he turned around to face her he froze, staring at the crash site behind her just as she had before. While he had believed what he'd been told before, the full realization and fear now reflected in his eyes.

It took a few moments for Seán to realize N/N had been waving her arm in front of his face. Attempting to shake off his overwhelming thoughts he motioned to head into the water. Following N/N's example, he pulled his breather over his face and dove in feet first.

The water was cool, but not cold enough to be uncomfortable. It took him a moment to remember he had air to breathe while he took in the reef. It was beautiful in game, but in real life it was so much more. The vibrant colors and fantastic creatures dancing about the water were amazing to see. The plant life and landforms looked more like art then reality. He supposed it technically was made by someone seeing as these creatures are all from a work of fiction, but damn if it wasn't magnificent.

He took to following N/N towards the nearest escape pod. After a few minutes, and multiple stops for air they finally made it to the pod. The pod was marked with a large red 4 causing Seán to look back and see a large red 5 atop they're own pod. Curious.

"Hopefully everyone is alright."

Seán jumped, suddenly hearing N/N's voice so clearly in his ears.

"I didn't realize we had communication in our suits." He responded.

Judging by her sudden jolt, she probably hadn't realized either and had been talking to herself. Never the less, she nodded proceeding into the pod.

When he pulled himself up from the water he saw N/N waking up the two passengers strapped into the chairs. When he looked closer he realized he knew them.

"Felix! Marzia! Oh my God, it's so good to see familiar faces!"

Felix, still dazed and confused, was more than happy to hear his friend's voice. As N/N helped Marzia out of her safety belts and through the process of the pop up screens Seán took to helping Felix. It was quickly decided that everything would best be explained when everyone was together. AsSeán and Felix headed to the exit they noticed a look of concern on Marzia and N/N's faces.

"You guys coming?" Seán inquired.

"I know we haven't exactly gotten to know each other, but I'm a Doctor. For medicine and Psychology. Marzia isn't feeling to well, it's probably just motion sickness but I wanna check just in case. Head to the nearest pod and we'll be right behind you."

"Are you sure you don't want us to wait?" Felix asked, obviously concerned.

N/N smiled,"She's alright, I promise. Just gonna help her get her sea legs."

Thankfully that seemed to calm him down, and he agreed to go ahead with Seán after hugging his girlfriend close. As they left the pod she turned her attention back to Marzia and crouched down in front of her.

"I can't help but notice how you keep clutching at your stomach. Curling in on yourself. Like you're trying to protect something.."

Marzia looked at her with tears in her eyes, like a deer in the headlights though much more visibly afraid.

"Do you know for sure, or is it just a feeling?"

"I took a test a few days ago. I went to the doctor to be sure yesterday." She whispered, still afraid of even bringing up the subject.

"What did the doctor tell you?" She placed her hand on her new companion's knee to try and provide some much needed comfort.

"Six weeks. I'm six weeks along." The panic in her voice began to rise.

"I'm six weeks pregnant and stranded on an alien plant as far as anyone knows! We're probably going to die before we ever get the chance to see our child, what am I supposed to do!?"

N/N placed her hands calmly on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. Thankfully doing so, seemed to calm her thoughts enough to listen.

"Yes, were stranded. But we're in a place that thus far, all but one of us knows how to navigate and survive in. A planet that has all the resources we need to be safe and healthy. We can have a habitat here in the safe zone in less than a week with our combine experience."

She gave her shoulders a slight squeeze making sure she was still listening.

"Not only that, but I'm medically trained. I've delivered babies before, in every kind of situation. Everything is going to be fine. Alright? Children are a blessing not a curse, don't spend your time regretting them instead of loving them."

Obviously feeling a lot better after hearing what She had to say, she pulled her into a hug quietly thanking her. After a few minutes of calming down they decided to head after their companions to find the rest of the survivors.

When they reached life pod 3 they came into a big love fest with Seán and Felix hugging Mark and Amy who were still trying not to panic. The two walked over to Amy to see if she was alright, Marzia hugging her before stepping back for N/N to take a quick look.

"This is N/N, if you shake her hand her name will pop up."

Amy shook both they're hands before leaning up against the wall. N/N going to make sure the others weren't feeling sick or hurt before wanting to head back out.

"So, I know we're going to find whoever's left. Hopefully we can get everyone together before dark. Felix said you weren't feeling well, are you doing any better?" Amy asked.

"I'm alright now that N/N helped me out."

"Hey, guys." Mark called over,"We should head out soon, since we need everyone together as soon as possible."

"Good idea." N/N replied heading out of the pod, once again taking the lead.

As everyone filed out, Marzia stopped Felix telling him she needed him to know something important.

By the time the group had made it around to pod 1 they had found Chase, which Mark and Seán knew, and three others. The other three being Sam, Beth, and Tessa who obviously knew one another. Looking around at the group N/N felt a bit isolated. She was the only one who didn't know anyone else personally. Glancing up at the numbers it read '10/10' so she knew everyone had been found.

"We should keep an eye on the numbers in case whoever put us here shows up and the numbers change for them."

"Good idea, N/N." Amy replied.

Just then Marzia and Felix came in, finally having caught up with everyone. To N/N's relief, both they're faces held beaming smiles.

Squished together in the small pod, the group proceeded to discuss what little information they knew. It was decided that tonight everyone would rest, and tomorrow they would all get to work. It was noted they needed people to gather food, resources, and blueprints as well as someone to use the materials brought back to make any necessary tools.

Since Marzia was pregnant and needed to keep her anxiety low it was automatically decided that she and Felix would remain in one of the life pods to make the supplies with the resources brought in. Mark, Amy, and Sam were going to gather resources. Chase, Beth, and Tessa would gather food; and Seán and N/N would travel to the floating islands to gather blueprints in order to make a suitable base.

The existing tools were separated based on what each job required. After breaking off a loose piece of coral that could carry people on top of the water, two of the swimming propellers were tied to the front with creep vine from the forest. This way there would be a much smaller chance of injury on the way to and from the islands. The heated blades were split mostly between the food and blueprint finders and the batteries from the swimming propellers were taken out in case the ones on the coral died on the way.

When everyone was satisfied with knowing their jobs, and the tools had been organized, everyone piled back into the nearest life pod to rest for the night. The first watch went to N/N, which she wasn't complaining about since she knew she'd not get any sleep tonight.

Hopefully, everything will go as planned in the morning.


	3. The Floating Island

**Seán's POV**

I was gently shaken awake the same way I had been yesterday. Briefly staring at N/N I finally remembered where I was. Thankfully the sudden realization didn't jolt me the way it had before. I was exhausted since the larger creatures kept bumping up against the pod throught the night.

N/N chuckled at my sleepy face before reminding me not to forget my O2 tank. It took me a little while but I finally got the top of my suit back on over my arms so we could leave. As I sank out of the pod everyone was heading out to do they're jobs and N/N was pulling herself up into the make shift coral boat to wait for me. Judging by how long the game took to reach the islands it would likely take the whole day to get back.

After a couple of tries I managed to pull myself up behind her. Turning to face me she smiled and nodded at me before tugging the creep vine to start up the small propellers. I hadn't realized it until now, but N/N was the only person I knew nothing about. Everyone else was either my friend or a YouTuber I had come across at least a few times beforehand. But not her, was she a YouTuber too? Is that even how everyone was chosen? It had seemed that way at first, but now I'm not so sure.

I guess she felt me staring at her because she turned around to look at me after a short while. We made eye contact and I didn't know if I should say something or not. Eventually she just gave me a very small, very soft smile. I've seen her smile before, or rather I've seen her give what seemed like a genuine smile. Somehow this was different. It was like every other smile I'd seen before was real, but not as sincere. Not as open or honest.

I wonder why she chose to smile like that now if all times, and why to me. I keep wondering what she's thinking, now that I think about it she's been so held together and strong this entire time. Everyone else has generally been lost and confused, including myself. Hell, she's basically been like a leader since we first got here and I can't help but wonder if she's even okay herself. I guess if I'd been the first awake I'd probably feel the need to try and keep everyone together too. It's possible she feels responsible for us, she does have a very motherly somewhat regal aura about her. I can see the intelligence in her eyes when she looks at me. Her mind and aura were so prominent in her eyes I realize I hadn't even really seen what color they were.

I want to ask her questions, see if she's okay and find out what her story is, but I don't. For some reason I'm to nervous to try and start a conversation. We end up sitting in silence for half the day while we make our way to the islands. When we finally made it we pulled the our boat onto the land, tying it to a rock by the first base in case a reaper leviathan takes an interest.

This island is a lot bigger in person. The trees and other plants are beautiful here too. I got a little caught up in looking around before N/N shouts back at me to keep up. Thankfully it was easy to find the first base and get all of the blueprints since it was so close to the shore. When she scanned the first section the blueprints had come up for both of us so hopefully everyone will have received them. It took until sunset but we managed to get all the blueprints and seeds we needed. Most of the venture having taken place in silence.

"I think that's all we need. You ready to go Seán?"

"Yeah I thin-

The entire island started violently shaking, N/N was thrown against the mountain base as I nearly fell off the cliff side when the shaking finally stopped. A loud screeching roar echoed around the island and we saw a reaper dragging away one of the enormous island floaters. An odd color of blood trailing behind it as it faded into the depths. I had to tare my eyes away from the water when I heard N/N make a small whimpering noise.

Oh God, her head is bleeding.

"Oh my God are you okay!?"

I kneeled beside her to try and look at her injury, but she just chuckled and waved her hand like I was freaking out over nothing. Is she joking right now? Her HEAD is bleeding! On top of that, she slightly flinched just now. Almost like she hear something loud.

"I'm fine Seán, it's just a little cut. I know it looks like a lot of blood but it's just because of the adrenaline from the island shaking. I'll fix it up and we can head out."

Slightly taken aback I finally manage to stutter out a question."H-How are you going to fix a cut on the back of your own h-head?"

"I've fixed myself up in much worse situations, I know what I'm doing." She pulled out the first aid kid and started opening it when I had a thought.

"Let me do it."

This time it was her turn to appear taken aback. "What?"

"You're the only one who really knows medicine here, right? What are we going to do if you get really hurt? Or worse? I think it would be a good idea to have someone else learn how to help everyone."

There it is again. That little smile. It was so small, but it calmed my mind regardless of the tightness in my chest.

"That's a good idea actually. Here, take the peroxide the short gauze and bandaid tape."

"I'm guessing peroxide first?" I chuckled.

"Yep. Just a small amount will be fine. Then dab it with a bit of gauze, don't wipe just dab it. Then you can press another small piece onto the cut and tape it down. Two strips across and two strips top to bottom"

Thankfully this was a simple injury for me to start with. Seeing her get hurt so quickly after us getting here made me realize how bad everything could get if she got really hurt, especially if none of us could do anything to help. Losing anyone would be horrible, but... I mean, losing the doctor, would be the worst loss aside from Marzia and her child.

She gently ran her fingers over the tape when I finished and stood up, reaching her hand out to help me stand. Her hands are oddly soft considering the calluses.

"You did a good job, can't wait to teach you some more."

"Thanks duder."

Why.  
Why did I just call her duder, this isn't Night in The Woods, were supposed to be serious here.

"Hah, no problem Gregory."

Huh, I guess she does know who the rest of us are. Or at least who I am, or she wouldn't have known everyone compares me to Greg from NITW. We start hiking back as I try to ignore the slight burning in my cheeks.

~~

I stopped just before the water when I realized our coral craft was floating a few feet out from us. The water had risen at least ten feet.

"This must be because of the leviathan killing one of the giant floaters."

"Yeah," I whispered,"We need to get out of here."

"We need to start slow to make sure the leviathan isn't close enough to hear us. Hopefully we won't need to come back here again; by that time this whole place could be in that things territory."

I nod as we trudge out to our ride back to safety. I hope we can make it out of here before it comes back.


	4. A Brush With Leviathan

**N/N's POV**

The island had sunk so much that the ground base, where we had left our raft, was ankle deep in water. If we ever need anything else from this island we might be screwed, though this isn't the time to think about that.

We pulled out to the drop off and scanned the waters, watching and listening. I could hear smaller fish but there was no sign of the leviathan, it's now or never. I looked to Seán to be sure he didn't see anything either and he nodded his go ahead, not wanting to make any noise and possibly attract attention.

At first we used our arms to push out so we wouldn't have to worry about the sound from the pseudo motor we made. It is quiet, but water carries sound and vibration much farther than people can usually anticipate. After we had rowed out a good distance we decided we'd turn on our 'motor' and try to get away as fast as possible.

Carefully I gathered up the creep vine and took a deep breathe, Seán gripping around my waist obviously afraid of falling into Reaper territory. All at once I pulled the vines tight jerking us forward, thankfully these things are much faster than in the game. Trying not to hold my breath I crouched forward, Seán pulling himself closer to me, as we do anything we can to prevent wind resistance.

And then we heard it.  
The Shriek from beneath the water.

I could feel Seán look back to the water behind us as he tightened his grip around me. I knew by the way his breath caught that it was coming up behind us. I pulled harder on the vines, knowing full well it wouldn't go any faster but hoping we could get out, when the raft was violently thrown several feet above the water.

All at once I felt my body jolt, Seán's arms rip away, and wind flying past my body. Just as I had realized I was in the air, I crashed hard into the water. Tumbling around the waters I couldn't tell which way was up or down, I had no oxygen tank, and I could hear the water rushing towards me.

Just as I managed to turn myself around I was rammed by one of the giant pincers on the side of the Leviathans mouth releasing a muffled crack from my chest. I managed to roll around and off of it before starting to swim up when I spotted Seán coming down from the surface. What is he doing!? Is he fucking stupid!? He should have stayed in the raft!

I start swimming faster, more frantically, when the leviathan swept past it just barely missed ramming me again. I finally reach Seán when I see the Reaper coming for us, it's jaws in alignment with Seán's body.

Without really thinking I push him up towards the surface, unintentionally sinking down more in the process when I feel all the air leave my body. It takes me a few seconds to bring my mind back to reality after being rammed a second time. Being dragged down further I can feel the pressure starting to crush me as the Leviathan's tooth digs further into my side. As far as I can tell I was only caught by the corner of its jaws. I feel a small amount of relief when it stars swimming back up to shallower waters when I realize it's going back for Seán.

Trying to ignore the desperate burning in my lungs I pull out my knife, gripping hard so I don't lose it in the current, and with all the strength I can muster I pull my arm back and slam it into the Reaper's eye causing it to screech in pain. The sound disoriented me even further but because it had let go I was able to push myself away and start trying to swim up. All I could hear was ringing and my whole body felt disconnected but I was too afraid to stop pushing forward.

After what felt like forever I finally surfaced gasping for air with aching lungs. I could feel warm blood starting to drip from my ears, I couldn't see, and my body was almost entirely numb but I refused to sink just yet. It was then, I started hearing some kind of echo that I couldn't quite identify. Was it something else in the water? Was the Leviathan back? I don't have much more strength, I can't survive going back under.

Suddenly I was being pulled up out of the water. I felt myself collapse into something solid, still gasping for air I started getting my senses back. My whole body felt like it could fall apart and there was an enormous tooth still lodged in the side of my body. Seán was crouching over me asking if I was awake, and if I was going to be okay. His voice sounding almost hollow from my burst ear drums. I don't think I've ever heard anyone so panicked in my life.

I managed to drag myself into a sitting position and nodded that I'd be alright when he noticed the tooth and started to panic more. As hard as I tried I couldn't get him to calm down.

"Seán!! If we don't get out of here NOW it's going to come back and neither of us will survive! I know how to fix this when we get back, so GO!!"

Reluctantly, he turned back and pulled together the creep vine lurching us forward once again. I managed to hold on as we went, regardless of how painful using my muscles had become. I glanced behind us when I saw the Leviathan surfacing and very angrily coming towards us.

I have to do something.

"Seán!"

"What's going on? Are you alright!?"

"Don't stop, and don't look back!"

"What!?"

"Just don't stop no matter what!"

"I.. Okay! Alright, fine!"

As hesitant as he sounds I decide to trust his word and turn myself back to our attacker, it's almost upon us and I've only got one chance.

It's outer pincers grip onto the raft causing Seán to yell out and nearly fly off. I yell to keep going and turn back to see the knife still sticking out of its eye. Making my muscles numb out the pain I hook my knees on the raft and halfway fall towards it's face, pulling the knife from one eye before stabbing it into another. With another ear piercing screech it releases the raft and pulls away, thankfully yanking out of the knife while throwing us forward.

I push myself up off of Seán's legs and back against the raft gripping around the tooth still lodged in my side, the throw had caused it to tear more. Lifting up his head he takes a look my way and somehow seems even more frantic than before.

"Oh, my God N/N are you alright?"

I look up at Seán who looks absolutely horrified staring at the tooth. Thankfully I've been through a lot of painful and horrible injuries before or I'd be in shock by now.

I take a deep breath to calm myself.

"Yeah, I'm alright Seán. It looks a lot worse than it is, trust me I can fix this."

"Are you sure?" His voice beings to waver," You're bleeding so much."

"Heheh, well I'm titled the 'doctor' for a reason." I manage a small smile," Besides I've been through much worse before remember? I can handle it."

"You've been through worse than THIS?"

Well that didn't help, now he's even more concerned.

"Seán, I'm alright I promise. Please just keep us going? I can start patching myself up as we go."

With a continually concerned look he nods slightly and turns back around to keep us moving. I just want to get as far away from here as possible.

I pull out my medical kit and start separating what I'm going to need to fix this fucking mess. I start cleaning around the tooth first so I can see what the actual opening looks like, and thankfully there aren't a lot of extra splits in my skin. I was about to start pulling out the tooth when Seán stopped the raft.

"Why did we stop?"

"Look."

I looked behind us to where he had pointed and saw the reaper swimming angrily against what looked like some kind of force field that the smaller fish were moving back and forth between.

"What the fuck?"

"I don't know, I turned around to check on you and I saw it just swimming there."

"What is going on here?"

"I wish I knew."

I looked down and saw that we were in a creep vine heavy area, we could easily find a lot of useful resources and blueprints here.

"Seán."

"Huh, What is it?"

"This is one of the areas with useful blueprints right?"

"Oh, yeah I think it is." He paused before turning to me," You are NOT going back into the water like that. I don't care what you tell me I'm not letting you."

"Heheh, well I appreciate the concern but I wasn't planning on it. I asked because we are gonna need those blueprints so we might as well get them while we're here. You could go look for some while I finish patching myself up, it'll be a lot easier with the raft not moving as much."

"I don't feel right about just leaving you up here, what if you need my help?"

"I'll be fine, like I said I've gotten myself through worse."

"I know.." He paused as if debating asking a question before shaking it off." I'll only go if you make me a promise."

"What promise?.."

"You have to keep the head cover of your suit next to you so that if we need to talk to each other we can."

I smile at him, I'm glad he's able to be reasonable in such dire situations. And a little happier then I'd like to admit that he cares so much.

"I promise, and I'll tell you if I need anything."

He sighed," Good, I'll be back soon."

He pulled on his head cover and put his legs into the water.

"Seán?" He paused to look at me.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful, okay? This isn't the safe zone yet."

He smiled back at me before sliding into the water. I hope he doesn't get attacked down there, because I don't know that I can get to him in time if he does.

As worried as I am right now I need to focus on this wound in my side. I grab the surgical glue and gauze before swiftly tearing out the tooth and holding my skin together with one hand. I go back and forth between holding myself together and opening it to clean and glue as much as I can together. I also use a closed heated blade to cauterize the really torn up spots. It took a lot of time but I finally got everything cleaned and together. Thankfully the tooth had gone between my vital organs and not through them.

Just as I was getting the needle ready to stitch the the wound closed I realized I hadn't seen Seán come back up for air yet. He should have come up by now. I somewhat fearfully grab my head cover and put it up to my face.

"Seán?"

"N/N? What's up do you need me?"

I breathe a sigh of relief," No, no I'm alright. I just haven't seen you come up for air and I got a bit worried."

I hear him chuckle slightly.

"I'm fine, I found one of those purple plants that releases oxygen bubbles. It's easier to find stuff when I can stay down here."

Just then a notification came up on the right of my vision 'blueprint acquired: Seamoth'.

"Good job, the seamoth is gonna be really helpful."

"Why thank you, my Lady!"

"Heheh, alrighty good sir. I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too! I can see another blueprint so I'm gonna try to find all of that one before coming back."

"Alright, let me know if you need help."

"You're still not coming down here."

"Okay, okay I know."

I went back to stitching myself together, which thankfully didn't take too long. I've lost a lot of blood, and am a bit dizzy and light headed but thankfully not enough to pass out just yet. I found some kind of ear drops designed for burst ear drums, assuming the people who made it also somehow created everything else here it wouldn't be a shock if it worked as well as everything else does. I dropped two droplets in each ear and I felt it sting and tingle. Hopefully it's working.

'Blueprint acquired: Mobile Vehicle Bay'  
Now we can make the Seamoth, good job duder.

A few minutes later Seán came back up to the surface and swam back over to the raft where I helped him up.

"Good job."

"Thanks, I'm glad we got what we needed today. It looks like you did a pretty amazing job fixing yourself up too."

"Told you I could do it."

"That you did." He smiled wide.

We laughed and I looked up to the planet floating by.

"By the time we get back it'll be pretty late."

"It did take us a few hours to get to the island."

"Do you want me to run the raft since you just got back up?"

"Are you kidding? You were BITTEN by a LEVIATHAN! I'm running the raft back, besides you got us to the island in the first place."

"Well alrighty then."

With a decisive nod, he started us back off towards the safe zone. At least we should have a solid place to sleep tonight.


	5. The Creatures Midnight Dance

**Seán's POV -Trigger Warning: Scars-**

Riding back was a much more relaxed trip.   
N/N was sitting back with her eyes closed as the moon shone down. I keep staring back at the enormous tooth sitting bloodied beside her. I can hardly believe she's still alive. I'm happy though, that she is.

I look over to the stitching she'd done on herself when I notice something. The area of skin around the fresh wound was completely covered in scars, risen up colored lines of all shapes and sizes, jagged and smooth, completely covered the area of now visible skin. I'm starting to understand what she meant by getting herself through worse.

I start to wonder what kind of awful things she must have lived through to have scars like that. What kind of shitty fucked up people might have come into her life at one point or another. Did anyone ever notice? Was she alone when these things happened to her? What must she have been feeling? A million questions started to pile up in my mind when she shifted to sit up more.

I looked up at her and she had an unreadable expression on her face. Devoid of emotion, but somehow stern. Like that of someone who's job it is to make the hardest decisions, to lead. It was obvious she had noticed I was staring.

"It's not a pretty sight, is it?" She whispered.

The sudden question startled me after such a long silence.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

"It's alright, it's a natural reaction pretty much everyone has. I'm used to it. I pretty much keep myself completely covered up all the time because it tends to cause a disturbance, so it's a bit odd having someone see it again."

Then I realized something.

"It isn't just that spot is it?" I quietly ask.

She just looks at me a long time, as if deciding weather or not I can handle the truth.

"No."

"So.. it's everywhere then?"

"That it is," She turned her head to look towards the waters," The only parts of me not marked are from my neck up and my hands. Even those have a few scars scattered about. I know that's probably a bit shocking to learn, but you're the kind of person who knows how to deal with the truth. The reality of what's around you, even if it isn't pleasant."

Looking closer I notice scars scattered about her face and neck I hadn't noticed before, and I could feel my stomach tying up in knots. She looks as if her mind is far away, I continue to wonder about what's happened to her but ultimately decide it's better not to push her for answers. After all, we don't even really know each other it wouldn't make sense for her to trust me with that kind of stuff. I look back to the vines to make sure we're still going the right direction, thankfully the beacon is in my vision screen.

"Thank you for being honest, that can't be an easy thing for you to talk about."

I can feel her looking at me, but I don't really have the nerve to look back at her or ask what she's thinking. I'm afraid of what I might see in her eyes.

"Anyways, thanks for saving me before. I tried to help you, but you ended up saving me instead."

Even I could hear the guilt in my own voice.  
She placed her hand on my shoulder to get my attention back before speaking.

"Seán, you tried to save me even though it WAS really stupid of you to risk your own life. You did what you could, there's no shame in that. The only reason I was able to react as fast as I did is because this isn't my first brush with dea... Danger. You have no reason to feel guilty, and besides you did save me. If you hadn't pulled me out of the water when you did I'd have sunk back down and died."

I can't find the words to respond to her, so I just smile another thanks. She responds in kind with that calm little smile of hers. I'm glad I could help her at least that much.

"And you're welcome." She snickers.

I can't help but laugh a little, she's definitely pretty interesting. After a little silence I remember she had mentioned she was titled 'doctor' and I wonder why she'd said it that way.

"Hey, N/N?"

"Hm?"

"What did you mean when you said you were titled the Doctor?"

She tilted her head slightly, like a confused dog or child would.

"In the corner screen of your vision there should be a title. Or at least there's one for me that says 'Psychological/Medical Doctor' which I'm assuming is the role I'm supposed to play here since that's already what I am."

Focusing on the corner of my vision I see that she's right, there is a title there. 'Hunter/Gatherer and Mechanic' interesting, just below that there are gray words reading 'Training: Doctor' huh.

"I'm a hunter/gatherer and mechanic apparently. Do you have any grey words?"

"No, do you?"

"Yeah, it says 'Training: Doctor' and it's under my other titles."

"I guess when you requested I teach you medicine the mechanics of this 'game' implemented it."

"I guess so." I paused to look back at the beacon again," Are you a YouTuber?"

"Yeah, not a big one though. I was granted the first license to practice and prescribe for both medical and psychological help without being in any practice World wide though. I'm assuming thats why I ended up here with you guys."

"Holy shit."

"Heh, yeah I don't often talk about that. Prodigy is one of those words that makes people treat you differently when they hear it, ya know?"

"I guess that would make sense."

A bit stunned by what I'd just learned I continue to watch the beacon as I gather my thoughts. The implications. We continue to ride in silence once again for what seems like a lifetime when I notice something odd. I stop the raft in the middle of what appeared to be hundreds of reefbacks tilting up towards the sky, just floating in place. I look over to N/N and see her staring up to the sky. Following her line of sight I see both the full moon and the large red planet are in the center of the sky surrounded by millions of stars. I've never seen a more Awesome view in my entire life. It was magnificent.

The reefbacks began singing much like whales do all together. They start emitting little spots of light and I can see fish of every kind dancing about as they continue to sing. As I stare at the water I realize the ocean and the sky look as if they're one and the same. Creatures of all kinds dance about, scales reflecting a rainbow of colors in the moonlight. Predators and prey alike swimming together in harmony.

I turn to N/N and see her leaning over and staring into the water. The lights reflecting into her eyes, a look of wonder on her face, and a smile on her lips. When she looks at me, the light still dancing in her eyes, I realize I had been holding my breath.

I pull my gear on and motion for her to grab her O2 tank.

"I thought you didn't want me in the water."

"We're not going to get hurt here, and you're already patched up. Do you really wanna pass up the chance to see this up close?"

She smiles wide before putting her gear on. I get in the water first so I can help her ease into the current. She takes my hand and gently slides in beside me, I can see her smile through the clear mask. We both sink just under the surface and are immediately engulfed in a glow of light and swirling colors that seem almost like magic. Some of the fish dance around us as they do the reefbacks occasionally gently rubbing against an arm or a hand. For a brief time everything that had happened, all of the pain and the fear had faded away; We're just here, alive. In this moment everything is blissful and beautiful and amazing. I watch her swim closer to the reefback beside us and gently touch it's surface, she looks like she belongs there. Connecting with the nature and light around her. I watch her peacefully floating there, just as graceful and beautiful as the scene around us. The other fish seem to circle her endlessly.

One by one the reefbacks start to lean back down to they're normal positions and the fish begin to disperse. I look up and see the moon and planet have moved off to the side, the moment beginning to pass. I see N/N holding her side taking deep breaths when I realize just how long we've been swimming in the water.

I move to her side and hold my hand out, she takes it quickly and I know she must be in pain from the tight grip of her hand. Leading her back to the raft I help her up before pulling myself out. She's shaking ever so slightly and is visibly exhausted, maybe it wasn't the best idea to stay in the water that long.

"Thank you."

I look up to her, confused as she pulls out ear plugs I hadn't seen her put in.

"For what?"

"Letting me swim. I know you're worried about me, Don't get me wrong I really do appreciate that, but it would have been a crime to make me miss that. So thanks for letting me get in anyways."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. After the day we've had, it was good to experience something that beautiful. That peaceful."

"Agreed."

We spend the next few hours riding back in a peaceful silence, by the time we arrive back to the others there are only a couple of hours left in the night. When we stop next to the pod everyone is in Mark is on watch and bangs on the pod to let everyone know we're back. Marzia is the first one out, rushing over to the side of the pod we're on.

"Oh, thank God you're safe! We were all so worried that something horrible had happened, you both were gone for so long."

By the time she had finished her statement I had started helping N/N stand up and the others had come out, it only took a moment for everyone to realize how badly she was hurt.

Mark rushed over to steady the coral raft so I could get her up to the pod, Marzia helping her inside. I looked back at the tooth in the ship and wondered if maybe we should keep it. If not for practical use then as a sort of keep safe. I quickly pick it up and reach out when the cloaked bag opens up to take it before following everyone inside.

"Oh God what happened to you!?"  
"Are you alright?"  
"What the fuck happened!?"  
"Did you both get hurt?"  
"Are you going to be alright?"  
"Did you fix YOURSELF!?"  
"How did you survive that!?"  
"Are you going to make it?!"

"Guys." I said firmly enough to grab everyone's attentions.

"Don't crowd her, she needs some space."

I lean down to see if she's developed a fever, thankfully she hasn't. If it hadn't been a warm night she could easily have gotten sick.

"I'm alright guys, I've patched myself up well. And Seán patched up my head injury so I'm gonna be fine."

"I asked her to start teaching me medicine since we could be in a lot of shit if she got hurt really badly." I sigh heavily," Kind of like she is now.."

"That's a really good idea." Amy answered.

Everyone else nodded and made minor noises of agreement.

"In any case, we should start building so we can all have a more stable and safe place to stay." N/N announced.

"You need to rest."

"I can rest after. It's not like using the builder is gonna take a lot out of me."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."  
"She's right it won't be hard."  
"I feel like we should all be part of the decision making in how to build it anyways."  
"She could just sit and watch from the top of the pod."  
"She's kind of been leading us anyways she probably has the best idea of what to build."  
"It's not like she'll be alone, we can watch her while we work."  
"She could direct us from the coral thing you guys used, couldn't she?"  
"It won't take long, so I'm sure she could rest afterwards right?"

"No!!"

Everyone goes quiet and stares at me in shock, there's no way I'm letting her back in the water, not after everything she's been through today.

"You guys weren't there, you didn't see what happened to her like I did. You don't understand the gravity of the situation. Do you want us to lose our only doctor?! Are you guys really okay with putting one of our friends life at risk like that!?"

I notice the shock on her face when I call her our friend, it hurts to think of why she would be so surprised by something as simple as that.

"She's not going back into the water until she's gotten some rest and that's final."

"He's right," Marzia pipes up," We really shouldn't be pushing her when we don't know how hurt she really is."

"I don't want to put my friend in harms way either." Chase responded.

Eventually everyone agreed we'd let her stay and rest while we got started. Of course she wasn't all that happy about it, but I wasn't giving her a choice here. I'm not about to let her hurt herself more.

Marzia stayed with her while we started building. The builders took a little longer than in the game to make things but not by much. We could see the resources being pulled apart by the grain and reform into what we wanted.

We put a room in the middle with 4 rooms stretched out from it with the one facing the Aurora being the main entrance. We then added another layer of rooms directly on top of each existing one going above the shallow water of the safe zone. It took a while to attach solar panels and an extra water pedal that wasn't in the game for power. When we went inside we implemented doors to separate each room. The entrance room we filled with the wall attachments and the center room with storage lockers. That leaves 7 rooms and the middle upper room for emergency medical situations.

Mark and Amy took one of the upper rooms as well as Marzia and Felix. Sam and Beth also took one of the upper rooms, Chase taking the last one. That leaves myself, Tessa, and N/N to take the remaining 3 rooms on the bottom. There were no beds yet but there had been a bunch of blankets in the life pods everyone could use, and Felix had gathered everyone's regular clothes so we could use them for pillows. After all of that was set up Felix and I went to get Marzia and N/N from the remaining pod. By the time we had gotten everything done the sun had risen but we figured we deserved time to rest, so everyone else had gone to sleep in they're rooms.

When we got into the pod we saw Marzia asleep next to N/N who was fiddling with her sleeping friend's hair.

"We're done and ready for you guys." Felix said gently waking his girlfriend.

She smiled at him and followed him out to the new base.

"You didn't rest did you?"

"Marzia needed to vent some of her concerns, she's pregnant. She needs to keep her anxiety to a minimum and I helped her, it's not like I was being physically active."

There she goes again, looking out for everyone else. I guess you don't become a prodigy in two of the most caring and genuine careers there are for nothing. That's what I tell myself at least, knowing that something else could have made her that way.

I help her get her half dried head piece back on before bringing her to the base. We step through the door and let the water drain before opening the inner one.

"Do you want the one to the right or the one across from here?"

"I'd like the one across if you don't mind." She whispered, she must be exhausted.

I walk her into her new room and help her set up the little bit of bedding we have before watching her settle down. I wish I could stay here and watch over her, but I know she needs her time alone to rest. I walk over to the door and step through it before turning back to her.

"Goodnight, N/N."

"Goodnight Seán."

After another moment I close the door and head to my own room. I need to try and get some sleep myself if I'm going to help take care of her.


	6. A Medic in Training Part 1

**N/N's POV**

A buzzing sound followed by a thump stirred me from my sleep. I think this is the first time I've gotten any real sleep in a long time. The room was mostly dark with a few low lights lining the walls, I'd really like to put in some windows so I can look out at the fish.

Ever so carefully I sit up trying hard to avoid disturbing my injuries. At least 3 of my ribs are broken from being rammed by the Reaper but at this point there was nothing that could really be done about it. I glanced over to my left where there was a new door, a sliding one instead of the hatches on all the rest of the doors. Maybe that's what the sound was, someone building onto my room.

Slowly I stood up making sure to catch my balance before moving forward. Walking up to the door I reach out to touch it and and it slides open. It's a bathroom, oh thank God! When did we find the blueprints for this?

Up until that moment I hadn't realized how badly I needed to go, so I quickly rushed over to the toilet. I have never taken a better shit. I notice when I go to wash my hands that it's pumping salt water, figures since the blueprint for the water purifier would prove much harder to find than the base parts.

I pull out my builder and set up a wall attachment so I can change the resources I'd gathered during watch the first night and build in windows. After gathering the materials I build a window on each side of the room before replacing the builder into my bag. I started walking back to the restroom to change out my bandages but stopp half way. Seán wanted to learn about medicine, this would actually be a really good learning experience for him.

With a decisive pivot I walk back and gently lay back down. I'll wait for a while, if I don't hear him walk by I'll just do it myself a little later.

*knock, knock, knock*

I sit up again and call past the door," Come in."

Seán opens the door and steps inside with a bottle in his hand and slight concern in his face, his thoughts a little quieter today.

"How are you doing?" He held out the water bottle to me, and I am more then happy to take it.

"I'm alright. I got more sleep than I expected to."

As I drink the water he settles down beside me before looking around my newly windowed room.

"I would think so after everything that happened yesterday, I'd be surprised if you didn't pass out after that."

"Heh, yeah I guess so. Thanks for the Bathroom by the way, I needed it."

"How did you know it was me?"

"You're pretty much the only one I've interacted with aside from greetings and a conversation with Marzia, it would make sense you'd be the one to think of me when setting up new attachments for everyone."

"Well, alright then."

"Hey Seán, you wanted me to teach you medicine right? You still dedicated to that?"

With a cute little grin he frantically nodded his head like an excited child. He looked back up at me as we shared a laughed.

"Believe me I am as determined as anyone can get."

"Good, because practicing medicine isn't for the faint of heart and it sure as hell isn't easy. You have to learn that different people have different limits, pain tolerances, and reactions to everything. In a situation where I know I can keep pushing myself someone else will have to stop a lot sooner. Where one person will start screaming in pain others might not even flinch. And if you can't improvise on the spot you could get into some deep shit, especially in our current situation."

"Then I guess I've got a long way to go."

"That you do, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it. Starting with cleaning my wounds and rewrapping them."

I see the anxiety come across his face at the sudden responsibility, but it quickly fades into determination. I smile at him to try and reassure him and thankfully it seems to work pretty well, his cheeks turn a dusty pink.

"Don't worry, I'll talk you through it."

He takes a deep breath and claps his hands suddenly making me jump, and then flinch from pain. He pulled the medical kit from his own bag and opened it up.

"First I want you to pull out what you think you'll need."

He carefully looks through the kit and pulls out gauze, bandages, tape, and peroxide before looking back to me.

"Good, now pull out the suture kit. A lot of times stitching comes out or snaps in high stress situations especially with a lot of activity. You might need to replace broken ones."

With a very serious expression he nods and pulls out the suture kit before placing the rest of the Med. box aside.

"Start with the one on my neck that you patched up before. It will leak some when you pull off the gauze, that's normal as long as it's not excessive or a dark/dirty color. Use the thin gauze to dab it as dry as it will get before putting some of the peroxide on another bit and dab it over the cut."

Moving around behind me he carefully pulled off the bandaging, catching the little bit of liquid with it. I could feel him trying to steady his hands as he dabbed it dry. He then held a dry gauze to the cut clearly unsure of something.

"Umm.. I think, I mean I don't know but it seems like it might need stitches. It's still pretty open and bleeding some."

"Is the cut longer than one segment on your pink finger, as well as being relatively thick?"

"Let me check," He paused a moment," Yeah, it is."

"You're right, it'll probably only need about two stitches. Good job, you've already got decent judgement. Do you want to try the surgical glue since you're still new to it?"

"No, no I'm going to have to learn this eventually."

Happy to hear his determination I quickly show him how to get the needle and thread together. I explaining how deep to push the needle in and what stitches go best with what kinds of injuries depending on the situation.

After a somewhat long winded and detailed explanation, his hand still holding to my cut he moves to start stitching. I feel him break through my skin with the needle carefully pushing through the second piece soon after. I didn't flinch, thankfully this is a kind of pain I can handle fine and it definitely makes learning easier for him. He double layered both stitches as I had instructed before cleaning the cut and replacing the bandaging. Gently I run my fingers over it and I can feel the stitches underneath the thin cover, they feel good and tight.

"You did good, the stitches are tight but not so tight that they're going to snap or tear my skin. They might be a bit crooked but that isn't a big deal. Maybe work on trying to go a little faster so the patient can get through the pain of it with less chance to panic."

"Okay, I can do that."

Seeing his slightly proud, very excited grin made me a lot more excited to be teaching him. Not only is it fairly necessary but it's good to see someone who wants to be able to help others the same way that I do.

**~~Seán's POV~~**

I didn't know how I would do going into this so suddenly, but I'm happy that I'm doing well so far. And seeing N/N smile proudly at me is a rather nice feeling. It's a little strange seeing her have basically no reaction to the stitching but it's a lot less nerve wracking to not have to worry about her moving or scaring me with sudden groans of pain.

I have to admit, it's really intimidating looking at the huge bandage covering her left side, knowing it's time that I try to clean it up and possibly stitch more of it together. It may be the same motions but the fact that it's so much bigger is a bit scary. Never the less, I breath deep and gently grip the side of the bandaging, looking up at N/N to make sure it was the right part to pull away. She nodded at me with an encouraging smile and I started peeling away the wrapping, reaching around her waist repetitively so as not to tug on the bandages and hurt her as I remove it.

I tilt the final bandage down and let the yellowish liquid drip down where I can wipe it off without bothering the wound. As I continue to clean off and examine the wound N/N starts quietly humming to herself which helps me relax a bit more and not hold my breath so much. She may not be singing, but from the sounds of her humming she has a rather lovely voice. Thankfully no new stitches were needed, so I start wrapping new bandaging around her waist after the cleaning is done. It took a few more minutes but I finally finished when I noticed a whole lot of bruising around her ribs and stomach.

"You're not bleeding internally are you?" The question came out a little more panicked than I wanted. She glanced down at the bruises and chuckled softly.

"No, I'm alright. I kept track as we were on our way back. If I'd been bleeding internally I would have started bruising visibly within hours maybe minutes depending on the severity and I'd have died before we ever got back." How the fuck can she say that so nonchalantly?

I feel myself tense up at the thought of her having been so close to death just a few hours ago. Obviously noticing the anxiety in my posture she takes hold of my shoulder and reminds me that while it could have happened it didn't. She's right, there's no point in worrying about what could have been, though the thought is a bit hard to shake off.

"That's a good question though. And now you learned something! This kind of bruising is what happens when ribs are bruised or broken. This patter spreads across these three ribs, see?" She points at the red and somewhat purple bruises along her rib cage," It's normal for the bruising to only be red for a day or two before turning blue or purple. These three are broken and you can tell by gently pushing along the bone and feeling the break."

She guides my hand over the broken part of her ribs and compares it to the unbroken parts. I can't imagine how much that must hurt. I listen to her explain how broken ribs are usually delt with depending on severity and location. Apparently sometimes they are just left to heal after being adjusted back in place, but not always. Unfortunately we don't have the tools to do a lot of things, including reattaching the one that's broken off almost completely, which is probably why she was talking about resourcefulness before. Hopefully it doesn't finish breaking off because that could be a big problem.

"You did a really good job, I'm proud of you."

"Oh, uh yeah! Thank you!"

There it is, she may not always give that little smile but damn if it isn't heart warming to see. She looks out the window on the wall in front of her watching the fish swim about, she always looks so peaceful when she's just watching the world around her.

"Hey, Seán?"

"Yeah?"

"I think it would be a good idea to give everyone a check up, make sure everyone is alright. Do you think you've got the energy to help me out?"

"Hell yeah!"

*knock, knock*

"Hello?"

Amy pokes her head in the door before coming in.

"How are you feeling N/N?"

"I'm alright, just got my bandages redone so it's going well."

"Oh, good! I figured since your suit got torn up from the bite I could scan the size of your other clothes before we all went to bed and I got another suit for you."

"Thanks, Amy."

"Happy to help!"

N/N calmly took the wet suit and carefully pushed herself up before finally standing on her feet. I could see Amy trying not to stare at her scars from the corner of my eye.

"Hey, since I'm teaching him medicine and we've finally got a safe base I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to get checked over. Could you guys go get everyone together while I change?"

"Absolutely." Amy chirped.

"Thanks, I'll be out soon."

Amy and I head out to find the others and gather in the upper room for examination, hopefully I'll be able to learn a lot to start helping out.


	7. A Medic in Training Part 2

**Seán's POV**

It didn't take long to get everyone together since discovering we can switch between direct contact with the group and our partners using the suit coms. Now that I think of it N/N was asleep when we found out. She also doesn't know our cameras remain outside the sleeping quarters unless more then three people enter at once, though I'm sure she'll notice when she comes out.

After everyone was settled down I started pulling out the items from one of the full medical kits, not really knowing what to do until N/N comes to give me instruction.

"Why are we all here again?" Sam asked, sounding rather irritated.

"N/N thinks it would be a good idea to make sure no one is sick or hurt or anything. And since she agreed to teach me I'm gonna help her when she's done changing and comes up."

Marzia perked up, seemingly ready to be examined immediately.

"Who's going first?" She asked.

"She didn't tell me who she thought we should start with."

"You're Training right? Who do you think should start?" Felix questioned.

Nervously rubbing the back of my neck I wonder if I have the 'instincts' to make the right decisions.

"Well.. I mean Marzia is pregnant so it would make sense to start with her right? Looking out for her and her kid would be the smartest route I think."

"You'd be correct."

I turn around to see N/N carefully climbing the last few steps of the ladder into the room, a somewhat proud look on her face.

"See? I told you you have a good instinct!" She lightly slaps my shoulder in approval.

"Everyone else can hang out in they're rooms or down the ladder until it's your turn, for privacy's sake."

It's interesting seeing her switch into professional mode so easily. She stands taller, more confident looking, with a friendly smile on her face and a serious somewhat professional aura. I watch her walk to the fabricator and make a PDA, something I didn't realize we had the blueprints for. I watch her fiddle with the tool until she understands how it works and watch her create a pass code for a large file named "Med. Records" after adding a file with everyone's names inside of it. She calmly walks over to Marzia and motions for me to stand by her.

"Alright, is it okay if I have Seán do the exam with me instructing him?"

"Yeah, sure. As long as you're making sure it's going alright."

"Wonderful!"

She turns her head to Felix, who's looking a bit on edge about the situation.

"You alright?"

"Yeah.. Uhm. Is it okay if I stay here with her?"

"Of course, you're her partner and I'm assuming emergency contact back home."

Felix visibly relaxes before thanking her and stepping back so we can do the exam. N/N has Marzia sit on the floor before turning to me.

"So, the first thing is to ask the basic questions. I'll ask this time and you can from the next one onward alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Alright Marzia, do you know your height and weight?"

I stand close as she shows me how to input the information into the new files. She asked more questions about how she's feeling and if she's having any changes or symptoms to her normal state of being. After finding out if she took any medicine before we ended up here and how the lack of medicine has affected her she steps off to the side.

"Now you'll take over. You'll start by checking her eyes, throat, and ears," she hands me a couple of tools," I would suggest doing the eyes first, since our salt water environment would have the most obvious effect there."

I carefully take the tools and follow her instructions, listening as she explains what's normal and what isn't. What kind of things to look for. Thankfully she's very patient with me, and is very calm about correcting me and guiding me. Eventually we get through the whole physical, which surprisingly has a lot fewer steps then I had initially thought. I watch her pull out the scanner and sit in front of Marzia who appears confused about what's about to happen.

"Because we don't have a lot of regular tools I have to improvise when checking on your pregnancy, okay? I'm going to scan your stomach and see if I can get a medical update on how everything is going."

Her voice was soft and calming which helped both Felix and Marzia relax at the idea. She proceeds to scan the abdomen and the PDA updates her file automatically. Picking it up she showed it to me and proceeded to explain what part of the picture that came with the information is the fetus. She also explains that it is very rare to get such a clear image so early on in a pregnancy.

"Congratulations guys, you have a very healthy start to your pregnancy. Though I do need to show you something," she flips the PDA around to show them," Do you see how there's three visible little circles right here?"

They squint at the dark image before nodding nervously.

"Each of those tiny circles, is a fertilized egg."

I watch as both of they're eyes go wide in realization of what they'd just been told.

"You're gonna have to pick three names instead of one."

Before a moment went by they were ecstatically hugging and laughing about they're family to be. It was such a beautiful and pure sight to see how happy they were to be parents.

After a few more minutes of celebrating Marzia went to rest and we proceeded to examine Felix. One by one we examined everyone in our group, scanning the abdomen of all the women just in case. N/N instructing me as I got a little bit better each time. A few hours later I had learned a great deal and felt a lot more confident in my basic understanding of the human body and general health. I definitely learned a lot about how to deal with different people depending on how they think and react.

"Alright! You did a great job, I'm proud of you."

I felt my cheeks heat up at the compliment, I'm never sure how to take compliments but I do appreciate when I earn them.

"Thanks! I'm glad I have a good teacher."

"Well, thank you. Now sit down, it's your turn."

"What?"

"Just because you examine other people doesn't mean you're exempt from it. We need to make sure everyone is okay, and that includes you. Now sit."

"I guess I didn't think about that. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Am I gonna examine you when you're done with me?"

She crossed her arms and looked down to the floor contemplating the question.

"Do you want to? I mean, I have a particularly good grasp on my own health at all times. I kind of have to. But if you want to try doing it on your own you're welcome to."

"I.. uh. I guess, maybe? I mean, you're part of everyone too right?"

"That I am."

"Then I guess, yes. Yes I would like to."

"Alright, but after I check on you."

I haven't gotten a physical done in a long time and had forgotten how close she would have to get to properly examine me, though it wasn't really uncomfortable at all. I wonder if it's because unlike actually going to a doctor back home I feel like I sort of know her. While she's checking my eyes I notice the beautiful color of her own, every other time I had really looked her in the eyes it has been much darker and harder to see them. Either that or something else that needed my focus distracted me from them. But now that they're right in front of me, staring back I can really see the way they shine as she concentrates on me. I find myself slightly disappointed when she moves on to check my ears, and my throat.

It's odd how hyper aware you can become of any part of your body just because someone is touching it or paying close attention to it. Noticing every touch or push is a bit odd. Soon enough the exam is over and she happily tells me that I'm in good health, as expected. She sits down next to me after handing me the PDA when I remember I'm supposed to check her as well.

It's kind of hard to focus on what I'm supposed to be doing because I keep getting distracted by her scars, not wanting to hurt her wounds, her watchful eyes, and generally hoping I don't forget to check anything. While I'm checking some basic things she starts humming again, and it helps me relax and focus. For the first time I notice how tense her entire body is, realizing she's been that way since I had first seen her. I hadn't noticed how her hands tend to occasional twitch when something hurts or that she tends to play with her ears fairly consistantly.

Aside from her newer injuries she's in decent health as far as I'm able to tell and based on the nod she gave me I believe I did everything correctly.

"Should I scan you?"

For half a second I think I see fear run across her eyes but the look was gone so fast I'm not sure if I really saw it or not.

"Why would you scan me?"

"I mean you scanned Marzia and the other women before, and if you have like a boyfriend or something back home wouldn't it be safe to check?"

I can't help but blush a little when I realize how that may have come off in a way I hadn't meant, but the embarrassment is short lives when she giggles lightly.

"I'm not pregnant, I don't have any boyfriend or girlfriend or anything back home."

Why was I so nervous?

"I guess we're done then, do you want me to get you when I need to change my bandages again?" She smiled.

"Yeah, absolutely! I'm enjoying learning about all this."

"Good. I'm gonna go swim around and see what I can find."

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea? You're still hurt pretty bad."

"I'm alright, I know what my limits are pretty well. And I'm not going to leave the safe zone, I promise. I'm just gonna catch some fish and maybe see if there are any resources I can find in the process."

"Alright, maybe you shouldn't be alone though?"

"Are you volunteering to keep me company?"

"I.. well," For the third time today I felt myself start to blush." I'd rather go with you than you be alone. I could use a swim anyways."

"Heheh, lets go then."

I smiled watching her calmly but happily walk over to the ladder and start descending to the first level. I start heading down myself and hurry to grab my O2 tank and flippers before meeting her in front of the exit chamber. This should be fun.


	8. The Reefback Mystery

**Seán's POV**

The water is warm today, nice and calming. Comfortable. Me and N/N have been swimming around watching the fish and taking a closer look at the wildlife around us for about 20 minutes now, and we've found some really weird and cool stuff. We've collected a decent amount of salt and metals along the way too!

"Hey, Seán! Look what I found!"

Turning around I see N/N swimming up to me with a spiraled rock that's a combination of deep blue and purple in her hands. She holds it out for me to see and I smile at how enormous it is. How did she even pick this up?

"Look at the little holes on the edges."

She points out little bursts of tiny holes around the edges of the spiral that make unique little patterns along the rock.

"I wonder if it was part of like, a shell or something." I wonder aloud.

"That would be cool! I found it at the edge of the safe zone by the Aurora a little ways behind me. It's huge but it weighs like nothing!"

She excitedly hands me the rock and I'm shocked at how light it is. It feels like I'm holding a tiny piece of drift wood!

"Holy shit you're right. That's so cool! I love the colors too it looks like art!"

"I know right?"

'Warning: Ten Seconds of Oxygen Remaining'

"Time for air." We say in unison.

"Jinx!" We laugh, together.

Damn, even the jinx was in sync. Will the battle ever end?!

~~

N/N POV

We've been exploring the safe zone for about an hour and a half now having found a whole lot of really cool things, and a few decent places to hide if anyone needs one.

"We should head back soon, I don't think it would be good for you to stay out here to much longer."

"I'm alright, I'll know when I need to go back inside."

"Ya' know, you make me really nervous sometimes."

"Heh, sorry about that. I know that the way I work is a bit.. unconventional. I promise I'm okay though."

"Well, it's definitely not normal but it's not like I can MAKE you rest."

"You're really worried, huh?"

"How am I supposed to not be? You've got this huge wound on your side and you don't seem to want to rest. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be rude or controlling; It's just kind of scary to think about I guess."

"I get it. I guess I'm just not used to having to worry about other people caring anymore."

"What?"

Shit.

"Nothing, we can go inside if it'll make you feel better."

"It would, Thanks. And I'm sorry if I'm being a little overbearing."

"You're fine, No worries."

We start swimming back and I can't help but feel relieved that he didn't hear my comment before. I don't think I'm at a point where I could really talk about it all yet.

"Did you hear that?"

I snap out of my thoughts to stop and listen for whatever Seán had heard. After a few moments there was a loud somewhat distressed sound coming from the direction of the creep vine forest. It sounds like a reefback? It's higher pitched though, perhaps an adolescent.

"Yeah, whatever it is sounds like it's in danger or hurt."

I look at him knowing that I have a slightly guilty look on my face, but I can't just ignore whatever's going on. He tilts his head back and sighs loudly. I swear his thoughts can be so sudden and loud sometimes.

"I'm com-

"Lets go then!"

Probably should have let him finish, but I really want to know what's going on.

"Uh, Yeah. Let's go."

~~

As we come up to the other end of the creep vine forest my eyes lock on a small Reefback down on the ocean floor. I start swimming towards it and notice a greenish color seeping out from beneath it. Blood? What looks to be the parent is circling over top of it, probably in an attempt to comfort or protect it.

Skirting along the floor, attempting not to anger the parent I come up beside the injured animal and immediately start trying to see what's going on. Seán came up behind me cautiously looking up to the parental animal.

I notice an enormous gash across the underside of the reefback, What in the world could have done this? Leviathan? No, there's a barrier between their area and Reaper territory. What the hell happened here?

Looking around, I thankfully see one of the purple oxygen corals near by.

"Seán, give me your heat blade."

"What? Why? Are you going to kill it? Because I'm pretty sure that would get us killed."

"No, just give it to me."

He uncertainly hands me his knife and I hand him mine in turn.

"Keep That in hand in case as predator comes to check us out. I'm gonna refill air real quick."

"Okay.."

After quickly stopping at the purple coral I sneak under the reefback and turn the blade on. Taking a deep breath, ready to dodge potentially being crushed by the creature I position myself up to the edge of the injury. Thankfully I find a good space that hopefully the underbelly can't crash into. Quickly I press down the side of the blade onto the opening as hard as I can, dragging it across as much of the gash as possible. As expected, the poor thing cries out and starts thrashing about in pain. Unfortunately this is the only thing I can do to try and save it.

"N/N!!"

"I'm alright! I'm not where I can get crushed!"

"That's good and all but momma isn't happy!!"

Damn it!

"GET UNDER HERE, NOW!!"

Seán starts rushing to reach me and I can see the shadow of the parent coming down towards him. Thankfully I reach out and pull him under before it can ram him. That was way too close.

"What are you doing to it?!"

"I'm cauterizing the wound. If enough heat is applied to an area that's bleeding to much it burns the area closed a lot of times preventing death."

"Do you really think it's going to work?"

"Well I can't just leave it to die."

When I notice the shadow hover away we swim back out to the coral for more O2 before heading back and starting again. After what felt like ages, along with a ton of trips between the coral and the reefback I finally finish closing out the wound. In order to be cautious of the possible mother or father we kept waiting underneath the injured reefback until it felt strong enough to lift back up from the ground.

I sigh heavily as the parent swam about the smaller one appearing to be checking if it's hurt or going to live on.

"Thanks goodness.. it looks like it could survive."

"Uhh.. N/N?"

I look back up and the parent reefback pushes itself up close to us, essentially cornering us against the rocks. After a moment of silence it sang out to us so loud that it pushed us up against the rocks as it continued to observe. The injured adolescent rested itself on the larger ones back, the elder slowly lifted itself up to the open water before swimming away.

"What just happened?"

"I... I think. We just made a friend?"

"I didn't even do anything."

"I don't think it cares."

'Warning: Ten Seconds of Oxygen Remaining'

"We should go." I breathe out, finally starting to relax.

"Yeah, I think we've had enough adventures for.. well ever."

After stopping by the coral we start heading back home, careful to avoid any predators until reaching the safe zone. As we continue on I can't help but wonder though, what did injure the poor thing? Is it possible the barrier is down? Is there something else in the water we didn't know about? Are there more people here? I keep asking myself more and more questions until finally, we reach home base.

Seán helped me into the entry chamber and closed the door behind us, letting the water drain from the room before going inside. When the water dropped beneath my stomach I almost collapsed from the sudden pain, thankfully Seán caught my arm and kept me steady.

"Jesus! Are you alright?"

"I forgot the pressure change and the use of my core muscles might hurt when the water emptied."

"I can see that, we need to get you back to your room."

Seán helped steady me as we made our way to my room, Which was thankfully just across from the entrance. Once inside he sits me down by the door before leaning down beside me taking note of my eyes and skin color. Huh, he really has caught on quickly.

"I think it would be a good time for me to check on your stitches again."

"You're definitely learning. Just let me get the top part of my suit off enough to reach it. Don't wanna accidentally flash you."

"Alright. Hopefully none of the stitches tore."

After a moment of adjustments I let him open his eyes and re-clean the wound on my side. Thankfully, the one on my head had already healed a good deal. He's much more gentle this time around, and more concentrated than nervous. It's good that I don't have to worry about him being calm enough to focus because humming right now would probably hurt a great deal.

"Alright, I'm finished."

"Thanks."

"I'm gonna go cook the fish we caught, I'll be back in a minute."

"I can cook my own fish right here ya' know."

"I know."

He shoots me an obnoxiously knowing smile before hopping up and heading out of the room. Dear Lord, he can be a little shit sometimes. Though I have to admit, he is an adorable little shit. On the bright side I now have the opportunity to change into the clothes I had been taken here in while he's gone. It'll be nice to not be soaking wet while in my bedding, to feel a bit more comfortable. I still can't stop wondering what really happened to that reefback. As I finish changing into my real clothes a bad feeling creeps up my spine about whatever could have done that.


	9. A Calm Silence - A Safe Space

**N/N's POV**

I lay quietly on the dry side of my blanket thinking about everything that's already happened in the short time we've been here, waiting for Seán to come back. I still have so many questions.

Why are we here? Why us? Is it from malicious intent or misguided good intentions? How did they even get us here? Who are they? How long were we asleep here before coming around? How did they even create this place? Or find all of us? What happened to that reefback? Are we in more danger than we had already known?

*knock, knock*

"I've got some food."

I watch Seán walk over to me with two freshly cooked fish in his hands, before he sits down beside me. I calmly sit myself up and take the fish he offers me, I've never been that fond of eating fish but there isn't much of a choice I suppose.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

We eat without talking for a while, both watching out the window as the fish swim about. It's nice, to feel comfortable enough with someone to be able to sit in silence without feeling awkward. Sometimes silence can be good. Not many people are willing to deal with silence, but I find it to be a peaceful place a lot of the time.

I look over at Seán and He's quietly eating while eyeing one of the more hyper fish moving around, a calm but content look on his face. It's been a long time since anyone's looked so relaxed and not displeased to be in my presence. It feels sort of foreign, but not in a bad way. I've missed having a companion.

Looking back through the window I take note of how low the sun is, I must have slept through a lot of the day considering it looks about ready to set. I wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight.

"Hey, N/N?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you go with N/N? You're the only one who didn't use there real name and I'm kind of curious about it."

"I was the first one awake remember? When I woke up I had no idea what was going on or where I was, I had no one to tell me to breathe or that we could survive. Before I really had time to think properly the screen came up and I felt so unsafe and that I couldn't just trust something like that, so I input a nickname."

I turn my attention over fully to Seán and take note of how he always seems to pay such close attention when I speak. I wonder why.

"Back home every friend and family member I had used to call me by this name anyways, so it might as well be my real one. I never did like my name.."

"What is it?"

"What?"

"Your real name."

I look down at my hands, fidgeting with the few remaining bones from the small meal. It's been almost two years since anyone alive has known or heard my real name, and it's become such a personal private thing for me. I wasn't even sure I'd ever tell anyone again, so what do I do now? I know he's a good person, and I know he's at least somewhat trustworthy but.. I don't know. I've barely known him three days, there's still so much we don't know about each other, he still feels so far away. Not as much as everyone else but still.. I don't know that I even remember how to let people in anymore.

"Hey," He whispers," Its alright, you don't have to tell me. I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries or struck a nerve, I didn't mean to."

The tone of his voice was so gentle, so full of concern and care.. when I look up at him he looks distraught. The kind of worry you get when you think you've royally fucked up something you care about.

"Please.."

My brow furrows slightly in confusion.

"Please don't be upset. You're making almost the exact same face as when I asked about your scars.. I'm sorry. That last thing I want is to make you unhappy."

I pull my legs up and hug them against myself, smiling over to him.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, it's a natural thing to ask. You couldn't have known it was a delicate subject for me, I mean it's just a name after all." I tilt my head over to where I can rest on my knees but still look at him," I'll be alright. I just have a lot of unsorted things in my mind, and a lot of questions we still don't have answers for that are hard to not worry about adding on pressure."

"Just because I didn't know doesn't mean I can't be sorry you felt sad from something I said. It may just be a name, but if it's important to you it still matters."

"Thank you.. for caring."

"It's not like there's a reason I shouldn't!"

But there is.

"I'm sure we'll find the answers we need as we go, as long as we keep moving forward. I don't know that I could help with the other stuff in your head, or if you'll ever want to talk about it. But if you do decide you need someone to listen I'm more than happy to be here for you. Just because you're the designated psychologist doesn't mean you don't need help sometimes too."

"Heheh, most therapists do actually see other therapists to help cope with the problems of hundreds of people's issues."

"Well there ya go!"

We laugh together for a moment before returning to our calm state of being. Feeling him sitting beside me is rather calming for my mind.

*knock knock knock*

Tessa opens the door just enough to talk to us.

"Everyone's going to have a meeting once we're all up tomorrow so we can decide what we should use our supplies on first. Beth told me to let you guys know."

"Thanks Tess." Seán calmly replied.

She seemed slightly taken aback by his quiet tone and generally relaxed demeanor, but nodded and closed the door regardless. I lay myself back down and close my eyes to try and calm an oncoming headache when I feel Seán moving around next to me. I open my eyes and look over to see him laying down with his hands sitting on his stomach, staring up at the ceiling. He looks really different when he's just quietly thinking.

I turn my head to look back up to the ceiling and close my eyes once again. Feeling more relaxed and somewhat safe with the warmth beside me I feel myself starting to fall asleep. I would fight it, but in all honesty he'll probably be happy to know I'm allowing myself to rest. I hear him say something but I don't quite catch what it is before my mind completely falls asleep.


	10. Where to Go From Here

**N/N's POV**

I woke up to a warm glow entering the room, a dim light slowly becoming brighter. I opened my eyes, once again waking up to the blank metallic room; this room still feels so foreign to me. With Seán sleeping a few inches in front of me I quietly sit up to look out at the sea life passing by. I can feel myself smile at the streams of light shinning through the waves and onto both the luminescent sand and the coral surrounding the safe zone. Fish scales shimmering as the sun slowly rises. Looking out into the ocean was peaceful, tranquil. It was easy to feel interconnected with the world around me like this, to feel like I belong somewhere. I'd nearly forgotten what it felt like. If I hadn't been taken here against my will and without any knowledge of why I'd be more than happy to stay. Unfortunately that's not the case here.

I hadn't realized Seán had been holding my hand until he stirred in his sleep, gently gripping for a brief moment. I look back to him and wonder what he could be dreaming about. Home probably, he's got family and friends back on Earth to worry about. They all do, I would think. He looks happy.

I watch as he shifts himself over affectively wrapping his other arm around our hands, I guess I'm not the only one who sleeps better with someone else's presence. Then again, he's probably capable of sleeping on his own before reaching total exhaustion unlike me.

His nose brushes against my wrist and I can feel the heat in my face spread up to my ears. I think if I were able to sleep next to him for the rest of our time here, I'd be happy. I feel like I can trust him to some degree, and he makes me smile. Laugh. I feel safer since we started to get to know each other, though I doubt he'd agree. I don't think I'd be able to ask him to stay with me again if I tried, my fears and anxiety tend to be crippling in times like those.

I gently intertwine our fingers and I lay back down beside him, the only thing between us being our own hands. It's been so long since I've felt anything remotely like this, and honestly it's difficult not to panic. It's terrifying, but I still missed it regardless of all the risks and pain that tend to follow.

His brow furrows and I find myself instinctually closing my eyes knowing he's about to open his. Why is that an instinct? Am I afraid of him thinking I was looking at him? Or that he'll notice I still held his hand when I woke up? Maybe I just don't want to let go yet. I've never been good at navigating my own feelings, so I don't really know which one it is for sure.

I feel his hand brush stray hairs from my face; not knowing what else to do I open my eyes, blinking a few times before focusing on his. I watch his face turn pink as he pulls his hand away and I realize I'm not sure I know how to see his face without smiling anymore.

"Good morning N/N!"

"Morning Seán." I chuckle," You do realize I'm only like 3 inches away right? You don't need to shout."

He scrunches up and whispers back to me.

"sorry."

I laugh at his antics and he smiles brightly at me.

"Should we get ready for the meeting thing?" I ask.

"I doubt anybody else is awake yet, but we can if you want to! I am pretty comfy though."

"Yeah me too, but I really need to pee right now."

"Alright, I GUESS you can leave me here to go pee!" He rolls over dramatically, throwing his arms over his face.

"Whatever you say nerd."

I get up to use the bathroom, glancing back to see him smiling under his arms as I enter the bathroom. I sit down on the toilet and my concerns proved to be accurate, my period started. Fuck!! I've already been bleeding a lot and now I have this to deal with? Wonderful. What do we even have that I can use? I don't wanna do this...

"Hey.. Seán?" I shout uncertainly. I hear him walk up to the door.

"Yeah?"

"Um.. can you please go get one of the girls?"

"Why? Are you okay?"

"Please just get one of the girls Seán."

"What do I tell them?"

....

"Hello?"

"Tell then it's important but that I'm not hurt."

"Uhh, okay."

I wait a few minutes trying to think of what else could possibly go wrong for me right now when I hear two sets of footsteps coming towards me.

"N/N?"

"Amy? Oh good! Can you come in here please?"

She briefly opens the door as she comes in allowing he door to shut behind her. When she looks at my desperate expression sitting helplessly on the toilet I see the understanding cross her face.

"All I know that we could use is pieces of blanket or suit cloth or maybe some of your gauze."

"Yeah I was thinking that too. Could you put together some blanket wrapped in the inner layer from the suit material? That should work like a waterproof pad."

"Yeah, hang tight I'll be right back. I'll make you a bunch of them for the rest of your cycle."

"Thank you! You're a life saver!"

**~Amy's POV~**

I quickly rush out of her bathroom and over to the the fabricator she has by the door. Thankfully I managed to gather a lot of resources while we've been here and I should be able to make more than enough for her cycle, then whoever has one next will have something to start with.

I see Seán watching me nervously as I start putting in my resources to make what I need, thankfully I can make up to 10 at once. I make 30 just in case. As I pick up the makeshift pads Sean stops me.

"What's going on?"

"It's nothing Seán, she's just got her period is all."

"Oh, okay. Thank goodness, I was worried she wasn't telling me something that was wrong."

"Nah, periods are just weird to talk about you know? Most guys don't want to hear about it."

"I get it. Thanks for coming to help, sorry I had to wake you up."

"It's no problem at all! It's the least I can do for her considering all she's done to help keep us all together and moving forward."

He nods at me and I go back to see N/N.

"Thank you!!"

"No problem, girly!"

After she applies one of the make shift pads she comes up to hug me tight. It's nice having a new lady friend to get to know.

"We should go and see if everyone wants to start that meeting."

"Good idea."

It's interesting how she always has such a confident knowing look on her face. She's always calm and collected and so in control. It's comforting to know we have someone who can effectively be in charge. It's a bit curious though, she's the only one I haven't seen even a little panicked or worried so far, but I still feel like I can trust her. I wonder what she's really been thinking all this time.

I follow her out of the bathroom and watch her and Seán immediately fall in sync as we walk out of her room. It seems like they've managed to really connect over the past couple of days.

It doesn't take long to gather everyone out into the main room. When everyone is seated and awake enough to pay attention Felix and Marzia stand up to speak.

"Felix and I have made everyone 2 spare suits, 2 spare flipper sets, and 2 spare heated knives. I think we're able to improve our O2 tanks now so that should be priority #1 for our resource use. What else do we need?"

"I think we should update our tanks as much as we can and then build the mobile vehicle bay. We're gonna need at least one if not more Seamoth in order to find more blueprints." Chase pipes up.

"He's right," N/N interjects," We're going to need the water filtration system as soon as possible and it won't be so easy to reach."

Beth perks up before speaking," We're going to need pressure suits after we make the Seamoth so we can swim out to get the blueprints before getting crushed by pressure."

"Good idea." N/N replies. The praise making Beth smile widely.

"What else do we need?" Felix asks.

"Honestly," N/N pipes up again," At this point we need to focus on only a couple of things at a time. Focus so we don't panic. O2 tanks, resources for multiple Seamoth, build the Mobile Vehicle Bay, and build the Seamoth and the suits. After that we can split up and search for any blueprints we need. If we don't take things one at a time we could get overwhelmed and it will take twice as long to progress."

We all nod in agreement and understanding. Obviously we have to be smart about how we do everything or nothing will work out right.

After having decided everything we all agreed that after we rest a little more everyone will head out to search for resources as we feel ready. Felix helps Marzia back up the ladder, Sam and Beth have already gone back to they're room. I watch Chase and Tessa wonder back to they're own areas while I wait for Mark to finish making his first tank upgrade.

I look over and see N/N start walking to the exit before Seán catches her arm and asks her to rest for a while longer, and I completely agree with the concern he's got on his face. I've seen her going out of her way whenever she can to help out without really stopping, even after she got really hurt. She needs to rest for a while. I watch Sean basically beg her to stay and rest when I realize something.

I know nothing about N/N.

Everyone else I either already knew or have at least met once or twice, but never her. I know she's a doctor, and I know she's pretty much a badass who's tough as nails but that's it. I wonder what everyone else has learned about her.

"Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you gotten to talk to N/N yet?"

"No, actually. I mean aside from her basically leading us I really haven't gotten to interact with her yet, we've all been too focused on surviving to get to talk with anyone outside of our pairs."

"Yeah, I thought as much."

"Why?"

"I just realized I don't know anything about her. I'm not trying to sound like I don't trust her or anything! I just wonder what kind of person she is behind her leadership skills."

"Yeah, that's a good point actually. I kind of what to know now too."

He looks over at the two of them just as Seán grabs her hand and takes her back to her room.

"Jack seems to have taken to her really well."

"You know if you're not careful they'll see that smirk plastered on your face. You might end up making them feel awkward."

"I just think they're cute is all."

"Yeah, sure. That's TOTALLY all that look is. I agree though, they're really cute when they're together."

Mark offers me his arm and I take it. I'm glad we all decided to rest a little while longer, I could use a nap.

**~Seán's POV~**

After helping N/N back onto her blanket I lay down next to her, the same way I had last night. I definitely need more sleep since I was awake watching over her for so much of the night. Turns out she has nightmares pretty constantly while she sleeps, holding her close and telling her it's alright quells them fairly quickly though.

I turn to face her and see she's already looking at me, do I have something on my face? I hope not.

"You look tired."

"Yeah, it takes me a little while to get to sleep when I'm in a stressful situation or a new place so you can imagine the difficulty."

"Do you need any help falling asleep?"

"How would you help?"

"My grandmother used to rub my head and sing quietly to me until I fell asleep when I was young. I've found it works pretty well for most everyone to fall asleep fast."

"Wait, really? You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. You stayed with me last night, and considering how long I slept you must have kept my night terrors down. It's the least I can do. Besides, you're my friend."

That's the first time she's called me her friend.

"Thank you, N/N. I really appreciate it, though helping you sleep is the least I can do since you've been here for me since I first woke up."

I feel my heart tingle when she gives me that special smile again. She scoots closer to me and starts rubbing my hair quietly singing. I know this song, it's a Celtic lullaby in Gaelic.

I didn't expect her to know 'Seoithín, Seo Hó', she sings it exactly like my mother always did. I wonder how my family is doing.. I can't help but worry about weather or not they're alright back home. I look back up to N/N's eyes and I can feel myself relax, she's definitely got a unique affect on me.

I close my eyes and listen to her repeat the song quietly until I start drifting back into sleep. I don't know where we'll go from here, but as long as she stays with me I think we're going to be alright.


	11. A Try at Friendship & Worries Shared

**Amy's POV**

It's been a long day of gathering materials. We've gathered everything we can within the safe zone and a little on it's outskirts. Everyone has gathered enough materials to have 750 on our O2 tanks, and for everyone to have a pressure suit. Hopefully the remaining materials will be enough for the mobile vehicle bay and a Seamoth or two.

Mark and I are eating a late lunch in our room, finally relaxing.

"Ya know, I was thinking about what you said earlier."

I looked over to Mark, pushing the remaining bones aside.

"Which thing I said?"

"Just after the meeting this morning, you had mentioned that you didn't know anything about N/N and I agreed that I don't either."

"Yeah, when I realized it I couldn't really get the thought out of my head. I've been wondering about her all day."

"Same. Since you brought it up I've been trying to think about what I know about her and I'm surprised at how little that is. I was gonna ask Jack about her but I'm not sure if it'd be weird to just ask out of nowhere."

"That might be a good idea actually, I mean considering the circumstances it makes sense. Everyone knows everyone! Accept for N/N. Maybe I should ask though."

"I guess it does make sense, why you though?"

"Because I'm a girl."

"What?"

I sigh heavily," I mean, I get the impression he's gotten... attached to her. And it might be a little less bothersome for a woman to ask."

"Oooh! Hahah, yeah I guess that makes sense. He really isn't the kind of person to get paranoid about that kind of stuff though."

"Alright, you do know him better than I do. I just wanted to be on the safe side I guess."

"It'll be fine, he's not the jealous type," He pulls me into a side hug." Besides as cute as they are together, we don't really know what's going on yet. It's only been a couple of days."

I chuckle and hug him back, he may know him better but I think I understand the connection a bit more.

I watch Mark get up and leave the room to find Seán and N/N, I'm actually kind of excited to learn more about her. Maybe we should do a girls day! That would be a great way to bond and I'm sure it would help her feel more like a part of the group. It must be kind of lonely not knowing anyone else when everyone already knows one another.

With that thought, I get up and flush the bones down the toilet to head out to find N/N. Maybe I can talk to her while Mark talks to Seán.

When I climb down the ladder to the central room I see Mark walking up to Seán as he and N/N come inside from the main entrance. I jog up beside him to talk to N/N.

"Jack! Can we hang out for a little while? I was curious about something and wanted to talk about it."

"Hey, N/N I have an AWESOME idea and I want your opinion on it!!" I smile brightly to try and not make the situation awkward.

The two of them glance at one another briefly before agreeing with slightly confused expressions, Mark doesn't seem to notice though. While Mark walks off to our room with Seán, I take N/N up top where I installed another door so we can still keep watch if need be. I pretended not to notice the slightly worried glances they gave each other when we separated.

As we climb out to the roof of our base we sit ourselves down facing the broken down Aurora. N/N sits in a curled up position, she seems nervous. I hope I can help her be more comfortable around the rest of us. At least she's gotten close to someone.

"So, what did you need?"

Huh, her face went almost expressionless. Calm and collected like she tends to look when trying to guide us. I wonder why she's like that.

"I had the best idea!" I smile, hoping to help her relax." What do you think about having a girls day?"

She stares at me blankly for an awkward amount of time.

"So.. what do you think?"

"Oh, uhh sorry. I've never done a girls day thing so I wouldn't really know. It could be a good bonding experience though."

"Wait, seriously? Never?"

"Heh, yeah I've been told I'm weird before, I know."

"Well then I guess we'll have to change that!"

"Oh, um alright. What are we gonna do? I mean, considering the circumstances."

"We can go a little ways off, but not out of the safe zone. Away from the guys for a day! We can just talk and bond, do each other's hair, Oh!! We can make trinkets or little hair pins or jewelry from sea shells and fabric! It'll be fun."

"Heh, yeah that does kind of sound fun. I usually had a lot of guys friends and only two or three girl friends so it'll be interesting getting to know some ladies."

"Yeah! It'll be awesome."

"Is that what Mark was asking Seán about? Having the guys do something together while we're out?"

"I dunno, maybe."

She seems a lot more relaxed now, I'm glad.

"Thank you, Amy."

"Hm? For what?"

"People... people don't usually try to include me in things. At least they don't back home. I appreciate you wanting to include me and connect with me."

"Of course, honestly I'm a little curious to get to know you since I'm pretty familiar with everyone else. I love making new friends."

"Me too, it's nice."

"You wanna go back inside?"

"You can, I could use a little alone time. Seán slept in my room last night so I haven't had my extra thinking time."

"Wait, he what!?"

"Oh! Oh, no not like that! We ate in my room and were talking and we just fell asleep there we didn't..!"

"Calm down," I laugh," I'm just teasing you. I didn't really think you guys did anything. I think it's good that you guys have been able to connect over the past few days. I think both of you kind of needed someone to trust."

"Heh.. yeah okay."

"Does it bother you that you didn't get alone time?"

"No, not really. I can actually feel pretty relaxed with him so I don't need much. If I got to a point where I really needed it I'd just tell him."

"That's good, and I think it's good you know he'd understand the needing alone time."

"Agreed."

"I'm gonna head inside now, finish upgrading my stuff."

"Alright, I'll be down to upgrade mine pretty soon."

**~Mark's POV~**

Amy guided N/N off to talk while I took Jack to sit in our room.

"What's up, dude?" He smiled at me.

"I was wondering about your girlfriend."

"Haha, very funny."

"I think so!" I smile goofily before relaxing," Seriously though. Amy brought up the fact that she's the only one we don't know anything about."

"I thought about that too, when we were heading off to the floating islands. She's kind of a mystery."

"Does that mean asking what you know about her is pointless? Because that's kind of what I wanted to ask about."

"I mean... I've been around her the most, yes, but she's not all that easy to get to know. She's very.. guarded. I have learned a few things though."

"She does kind of come off distant, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, I think she's starting to relax around me though."

"Good! So, what's she like?"

I watch him take a deep breath leaning back against the wall, to think for a moment.

"She's really.. connected. She really loves connecting with the world around her, the plants and animals. And they really seem to love to connect with her too. You should have seen her when the reefbacks floated up towards the moon.."

"Don't go into a daydream buddy."

He scoffs slightly

"Do you wanna know about her or not?"

"Yeeees pleeeeeeaseeee!!"

"Alright, alright." He laughs," She really seems to love teaching and sharing her passion of medicine with me. It's not always easy to notice but her eyes kind of shine."

His face falls a bit, turning fairly sad in a mere moment.

"I don't think her life back home is very happy. She has a lot of... well she's been injured a lot. Physically and probably emotionally. I don't think she sleeps when she's alone. The only time she's had energy that didn't seem to be covering exhaustion was after I stayed with her last night. She had really bad nightmares all night too.."

"Woah."

"She always gets so confused and uncomfortable when she gets a compliment or attention or kindness of any sort.. like she doesn't know what to do in those situations. And she keeps her feelings and issues to herself always trying to keep everyone else together.. pushing herself so much farther than she should.. I'm worried about what's happened to her to make her that way."

"I didn't expect to learn... that. Are you okay? You seem really upset about this... not that I blame you! But do you need to talk about it? I know you probably want to try and help her but you have to make sure you're alright first or you won't be able to do any good."

"I'm alright, I'm just worried. I'm having a hard time not imagining what kinds of things could have happened, but I'm getting better at focusing on the present. Remembering whatever it is, it's in the past and she'll tell me if she wants to."

"I'm glad you're taking care of yourself.. you're sure you're okay?"

"I'm alright Mark, I promise. This is just the first time I've gotten to verbalize my thoughts on it."

"Okay. If you need to talk more I'm always near by."

"Thanks, Mark."

"No problem."

I hugged him and he hugged back tight. After a minute of him calming down we let go and I hear one of the girls coming down from the roof.

*knock, knock*

"Come in!"

Amy opened the door with a smile on her face.

"She agreed that a girls day out is a good idea!! I'm so excited! Once she's done with her alone time we're gonna ask the other girls how soon they wanna do it!"

"Awesome! I'm glad you guys will get some bonding time."

"You guys are doing a girls day?"

"Yeah! I thought it would be a good way for all us girls to connect, and since she's kind of like our leader I figured I'd run it by her first!"

"That's cool, I'm glad you guys will get to know each other better. I think that'll be good for her."

"Yep! Sorry we'll have to steal her from you for a while."

"Hey, gives me a chance to hang out with my BOOOOOOOOYYYYSSS!!"

"Alright buddy, Amy and I are going to finish our upgrades."

"Gotcha, I'll catch you guys later."

**~N/N POV~**

I'm watching the Aurora smoke, wondering what this girls day thing is gonna be like. Is it gonna be like the movies? Will it be calmer? Will we talk about stereotypical topics, or regular topics? Will they really be able to enjoy themselves if I'm there? I don't know.

A slight gleam in the corner of my eye pulls me out of my thoughts. I stand up and try to focus up at the sky, looking for what I'd seen. My eyes focus an a glint if light towards the horizon. Was that a reflection? It looked like the sun shinning off of something metal.

Whatever it was, it had landed in the water towards the horizon. What the fuck is that? Something pops up in the corner of my vision. Changing my focus I notice a grey... blob? It looks like a system glitch. This can't be a coincidence.

I have a bad feeling about this.  
  


**Author's Note: No I will not be putting GlitchBitch into the story that's not what the glitch is.**


	12. Opening Up

**Trigger Warning: There is a panic attack in this chapter**

**Mark's POV**

I heard a small 'thunk' from outside our door, I guess N/N is done with her alone time. That was fast. I open the door to see if I could talk to her and hopefully find some things out that could help calm Seán's nerves, she turns to me and I notice a concerned somewhat anxious look on her face.

"Everything alright?"

"I saw something.. something I don't think I like."

I motion for Amy to come back out so we could find out what's going on.

"What did you see?"

"I don't know yet," She rubbed her eyes in frustration," but whatever it is I think it caused a glitch."

"A what?"

"Top right of your screen.. do you see a Greyish glitch?"

I focus my vision and sure enough I see it there just below the rest of the basic information. I nod slightly, noticing Amy do the same.

"I caught a glimpse of something coming down from the sky, I only saw what looked like light hitting something shinny like metal. Whatever it was it landed at the horizon; and I don't think it's a mistake that the glitch wasn't there until it landed."

"Are you sure it wasn't some extra material that got shot off of the Aurora?" Amy asked

"I.. I hadn't thought of that."

"Maybe it hit something connecting our screens, like a server or something, to make them glitch." I chime in.

She didn't look at all comforted by that.

"I don't know.. Something about it just doesn't _Feel_ right," She trailed off into thought," What if it's something.. or someone.. dangerous? Can we really afford to just ignore this?"

"I guess it wouldn't be smart to ignore it all together, but we don't need to go looking for trouble either."

"I'm not saying go look for it, I'm saying we need to take precautions. Prepare to protect ourselves."

"I agree with her,"Amy announces," We should let everyone know to be on the lookout and stay in pairs at least."

"Alright, we can do that."

"Good, I'll go send out a message to everyone's communications. Better safe than sorry."

Before either of us could respond, N/N swiftly slides down the ladder to get her head cover. Amy and I go secure our knives to our suit holsters as she sends out the Warning. I honestly don't know if I really think it isn't a threat, or if I just really want it not to be.

"Amy, why don't you go discuss plans with the girls? It would be a good way to keep people calm after that. And I can go see if the guys wanna do anything while y'all are doing your day together."

"Good idea, I'll go find them all now."

**~N/N's POV~**

I sat staring out the window in my room after discussing the possible threat with everyone via intercom. I can't stop thinking about what it could have been.. my thoughts are quickly interrupted by a knock at my door.

Walking out into the common area I see everyone sitting across the room by the entrance door and Amy walking away to join them. This must be about the girls day she suggested.

"N/N! Amy told us about her idea!" Beth squealed as I approach them.

"Yeah, and were all excited." Marzia smiled.

"We wanted to figure out when and where to do it, and since your basically our leader we figured you should help." Tessa pipes up.

"Oh, um.. okay. I mean everyone has been working pretty hard to gather materials and we've been able to accomplish a lot already so I don't think it would be an issue to do it soon. And it's not like we have other plans."

"True," Marzia mused," What about tomorrow then? I just don't wanna wait! I'm so excited."

All the girls nod in agreement, and I follow suit. Might as well right?

"Amy and I found a cool little high rise by the edge of the safe zone today, and it has a lot of cool coral and shit around it. How about there?" Tessa suggested.

"Perfect, Tess!" Beth energetically pulled Tessa into a bear hug, laughing out of happiness. It's cute.

"Mark is gonna get the guys together too, since we'll be away. Should be fun for us all to come back together after all that bonding."

"I would think so." Tessa nodded, she's probably the most calm person here aside from myself.

As the girls continue to giggle and squeal I find my mind wondering back to Seán. I've basically been with him since we first woke up here, I've sort of started getting used to his presence. I wonder if it'll feel weird to be away from him all day, maybe it would be good for me. Getting attached to people has never ended well for me, I think I should try to distance myself a little bit before I get too close to him... Damn it I can't keep doing that to myself. Jeez.. it can't be a good sign when the Psychologist is taking part in generally unhealthy habits. It's not the same for me though.. especially if he found out about my-

"N/N!!"

Beth suddenly grabs my hands and starts jumping around and tugging me along.

"Isn't this gonna be amazing!? AHH!! I can't wait! Can you wait?!"

"Heheh.. yeah, uh. Should be fun."

Happy with my somewhat despondent reply she rejoins the chatter. I'm still really apprehensive about the whole 'bonding' thing since that's kind of what I've been trying to avoid doing with anyone for what amounts to almost 2 years now. But maybe.. maybe it'll be good for me.

It's been such a long time since I've had friends or connected with anyone. Until now, until Seán really.. I'm not sure that I'll be able to shake these fears, this terror, at the idea of getting close again. But the idea has become more and more tempting. I wish I could just, be normal, for once in my life. I'm uncertain as all hell, but I think I'm at least going to try. Maybe putting the effort in will pay off this time.

"Maybe we could bring the scanners, so that we can make more of what we put together with different colors and decorations."

They all turn to me in unison, they seem surprised that I had something to suggest. Oh God I hope I didn't fuck up.. I can feel my heart rate rising with my nerves and-

"That's a great idea!!" Marzia shouts.

"Yeah, actually it is." Tessa mumbles.

"This is gonna be a great girls day!" Beth yells.

As they continue excitedly conversing Amy walks up beside me.

"I think this'll be good for us.. all of us. I think we need something to look forward to right now. It's been difficult to stay positive but this kind of thing does a lot." She looks over to me," You do too. The fact that you've been able to stay so calm and collected, that you've been a leader and a consistent voice of reason has done more then I think you know for everyone."

"I just took the initiative, it's obvious that staying calm is the only really productive approach. Anyone could have done it.. I was just the first one to wake up and take responsibility."

"You're wrong."

What?

"Yes panicking wouldn't get us anywhere, and people know that, but knowing doesn't make it any easier not to. Especially here. Honestly I don't know that any of the rest of us could have done what you've been doing. Sure some of us have been able to contribute after adjusting, but right off the bat? No. You don't give yourself enough credit."

"Well when you wake up in a foreign place across from someone unconscious who's saved your life before, it's hard NOT to think first and foremost about getting them through it."

Her eyebrows furrow slightly, eyes focus quizzically towards me.

"He saved your life?"

Damn it.. I didn't mean for that to come out.

"He..." I sigh, collecting myself." Yeah. I already knew who he was when we got here but I'd never met him. When I found his channel a lot of pretty horrible things were going on in my life.. I honestly don't remember anything that wasn't fucked up aside from him. He was the only constant, the only stable person I had in my life. The only thing that was positive and light hearted. And he so obviously cares about everyone in the community.. I guess he was the only person I though would care if I was gone. Even though we'd never met.."

Why? Why and I telling her all of this? I've spent the last few years keeping absolutely everything to myself, I've never even struggled with not talking.. so why now? I never wanted to share my pains with anyone, and yet here I am.

"It was so weird seeing him in person when I woke up. It felt a combination of slightly happy disbelief and a mountain of worries and concerns. I think that's why I hadn't said anything about knowing him when he was awake. It wasn't beneficial to the situation."

She continued to look at me, her eyes both focused and sad with a bit of curiosity and understanding mixed together. She nodded slightly.

"I'm not used to this.."

"Used to what?"

"People being around me so much. People.. caring. Having friends.."

I hadn't realized there were tears brimming my eyes until Amy touched my arm to try and comfort me. I take a moment to glance behind her seeing all the girls are standing together just watching me.

They're staring at me.

Stop it.

Stop looking at me.

Stop staring at me!

Quit looking at me with so much pity!!

I don't want your pity!!

STOP IT!!!

Without thinking I run past them and into my room, slamming the door shut and locking the hatch. I can hear muffled voices and what might be knocking but I can't focus on anything anymore.

My heart is racing, body is shaking, head pounding, and ears ringing. I can feel the tears finally fall from my eyes as my thoughts scream over one another creating a chaos of noise in my head. I can't breathe, my lungs feel like they're closing, I can't speak, I can't calm down, everything is spinning!

Panic attack.  
I'm having another panic attack.  
Fuck!

I tuck my arms slightly behind my head, close my eyes, and slowly rock side to side.

Lean right - Linger - Come center  
Lean left - Linger - Come center

As I rock I start trying to control my breathing.

Breathe in five seconds  
Hold 4 seconds  
Breathe out five seconds

I continue my calming exercises for a short while before managing to calm down. Thankfully I've done this a billion times or this would have taken much longer. My senses and awareness finally start to come back when I hear something.

"N/N.. please. Please open the door.. it's me, I'm right here. Please.."

Seán.

Slowly pushing myself up on weak and shaky legs I stumble over to the door, unlocking the hatch and pulling it just enough to open it.

**~Seán's POV~**

Everyone has been up on the roof for a while now talking about what we might do with the girls gone for a day. After the squealing started we decided to come out here for a little more quiet while we talked.

I have pretty little to say about the plans, we had just decided to talk mostly and have a relaxing day. Maybe come up with some games, I didn't really need to share much since Sam, Felix, and Chase had so many ideas. It's been really fun talking and listening to these guys again. Every once in a while my mind drifts back to N/N, which isn't surprising since I've been with her since we've gotten here. I wonder if it'll be weird to not see her for a whole day.

The spot I'm sitting on suddenly shakes a bit with a very quiet sort of 'thump' sound from down stairs. I wonder what that was? Glancing around the sides no big fish are near enough to bump us. Huh, that's odd. I look back at everyone and no one else seemed to notice so I decide to ignore it.

The top hatch suddenly flies open as Amy bursts through the entryway.

"SEÁN!!"

My stomach drops.

"You need to come with me NOW! It's N/N she just panicked and she's locked herself in her room! I-I don't know what happened.. I think she's having some kind of panic attack!"

Before she's done explaining I launch myself up and jump down past her into the base, rolling with my landing. Immediately I slide down the to the first floor turning to see the rest of the girls banging on her door frantically, trying to yell things to her.

Amy slides down as I rush to the door.

"Stop!" I accidentally yell," You said she was panicking right? Banging and yelling is only going to make it worse. Get away from the door, I need to try and calm her down."

The rest of the girls immediately heed my instructions while I approach the door, placing a hand on the frame and leaning in to try and get my voice through without yelling.

"N/N? It's me, it's Seán. I don't know what happened but it's alright now." I speak in a soft voice to calm her nerves," Everything is gonna be okay, but I need you to try and open the door."

I can hear her hyperventilating and I have to consciously keep my own breathing and heart rate in check. She needs me right now.

"You have to focus on breathing better okay? Can you do that for me? Just breathe."

I hear her shift around but her breathing is still sporadic. The rest of the guys are standing with the girls now, all waiting with panic written across each of they're face.

"I need you to breathe sweetie, just keep trying to breathe. I know it's hard but you can do it."

Oh God, at this rate she could pass out.

"I know this is hard but I need you to open the door, please, you need to open the door so I can help you."

She suddenly gets very quiet and I start to panic. What if she passed out? Is she still awake? What happened to her?!

"N/N please, if you can hear me either answer me or open the door. Please, you're scaring me I can't hear you anymore."

It's becomes an enormous fight just to keep the panic out of my own voice that I start losing control. I can feel tears running down my face. What do I do?

"N/N.. please. Please open the door.. it's me, I'm right here. Please.."

I start to hear movement, and the door finally unlocks. I wipe my face as I stand back waiting for the door to open. She opens the door just enough for me to see her.

My breath hitches in my chest, my heart and stomach dropping away when I see her face. Tear stains run down her cheeks, she's shaking, and her skin is extremely pale. For the first time she looks so small, so fragile, I've never seen her not trying to cover up her exhaustion before. My heart feels like it's breaking.

I gently reach forward and take her into a tight embrace, I can feel her shaking in my arms. While we're standing in her doorway I look over my shoulder to everyone else, and see them visibly relaxing to see she's gonna be okay. Amy quietly points up for everyone to leave us be while N/N calms down, I smile at her in thanks.

I carefully push us inside her room just a few steps so I could close the door. As soon as the door clicks shut I feel her wrap her arms tightly around my waist, gripping the back of my suit beneath my old shirt. For some reason I remember each time I would get nervous around her she'd start humming to herself.

Lightly rubbing her back I start to quietly hum for her. After a little while her shaking starts to calm down a lot more and her sniffles die off. By the time she opened the door she had stopped actually crying but the sniffles has persisted for a while.

"thank you"

I breath a sigh of relief knowing that the worst of it is over.

"No need to thank me, I just want you to be okay again."

"I'm sorry.. I didn't want... I didn't mean to cause a ruckus.."

"Hey, hey," I lift her head to see her face," You don't have any reason to be sorry. I don't know what happened, but things like this don't just happen for no reason. You shouldn't ever have to apologize for how you feel. Everyone would rather you get better and make a 'ruckus' than for you to stay quiet and not get better."

She has this look in her eyes. Like she wants to believe me, but doesn't really know how to. I wish I could just take her doubts away.

"Besides," I make myself smile," You're much more beautiful when you smile."

I could feel the knotting in my stomach, but all I really wanted was to make her smile again. If I have to make myself nervous to do it, then so be it.

Her ears turn a light shade of pink just before she chuckles and leans her head against my chest.

"You're a dork." She whispers,"Thank you anyways."

"I'm glad I could help."

We stood in our embrace for several minutes, breathing practically in unison before she calmly pulled away from me. She walked over to the bathroom and stopped when the door opened.

"You don't have to stay with me again if you don't want to."

With a slight twinge of pain from her tone I sit down on her bedding and smile up at her.

"Not even the Queen if England could get me to leave you alone right now."

She looks me in the eyes and smiles softly, God that smile could melt a frozen tundra. She turns around and heads into her bathroom while I sit and wait. I've never seen her smile like that to anyone else, or ever in front of anyone for that matter; but I'm more than happy that she's chosen to show it to me.

There's a small knock at the door and I go to answer it. 

Amy.

"Is.. is she okay?"

"Thankfully yes, she's finally calmed down and is in the bathroom at the moment."

With a sigh of relief Amy leans herself against the door frame, rubbing her eyes for a moment.

"I'm so glad to hear that."

"What happened?"

"Well," A guilty expression overtook her features," The girls were shouting about the plans and I had noticed she was just kind of staring at us a little away from the group. I went over to her and started talking about how good this would be for us, mental health wise and offhandedly mentioned how if it weren't for her we'd never have made it this far."

I nod, signaling her to continue.

"She said anyone could have done it and it wasn't a big deal so I told her she didn't give herself enough credit. I think she spoke without thinking when she said that's how anyone would react waking up like that across from someone who's saved they're life before and stuff about feeling responsible for us."

"Wait, What? Saved they're life?"

What is she talking about?..

"Yeah.. that's the part I don't think she thought about before saying. I never expected her to open up to me, at least not any time soon! So.. I was surprised when she started telling me that she found you when everything in her life was basically the most horrible situation ever. You were the only stability she had. The only person who might care if she was gone regardless of never meeting.."

Oh my God.

"Why... why didn't she ever tell me? I-I.. I had no idea."

"She did say something about feeling it wouldn't benefit anyone to bring it up considering the circumstances."

She looked at me with a kind of understanding sadness at my reaction. I guess it really didn't make sense to bring something like that up but.. I don't know this is a whole lot to take in at once.

"What happened next?"

"I don't know.. she just looked up and glanced around for a second and bolted. I don't know what really caused the panic.. maybe she didn't intend to share that much and was afraid? Or maybe it was what she was talking about or not being used to having friends considering we all kind of know each other? I can't really be sure."

"Thank you Amy, you've really helped a lot."

"Not as much as you have, I'm glad you came so quickly or we don't know what could have happened. I'm glad I could still do something though."

"Yeah, me too."

She smiled at me and patted my shoulder before turning to walk away.

"Oh, and don't be surprised if the guys decide to tease you about that whole 'sweetie' thing when everything's calmed down."

"Sweetie thing?" I ask in confusion.

My eyes widen and I feel my face turn red when I realize what I'd accidentally called N/N when trying to talk through the door. Winking and giggling at me, Amy made her way to the ladder leaving me to stew in my embarrassment. I close the door hoping to all that is holy that N/N didn't actually hear that part. Oh God what if she did?

I hear her come out of the bathroom as I turn to go back to her bedding. She comes and sits beside me taking a calm breath.

"Should I ask or no?"

"About what?"

"Why you look so red after talking to whoever was here?"

Apparently my face wasn't as red as it could get, because I could see it get worse in the reflection off the window.

"Noooooo!" I frantically wave my arms.

She giggles at me and lays herself down, turning her head to look up at me.

"So I'll have to be curious forever?"

"Yep!"

"Damn." She pouts.

"Aww that's not fair!"

"What's not fair?"

"The cuteness is almost impossible to resist!! Almost."

She starts into a giggle fit that soon turns into the both of us laying down and laughing. I'm just glad she's okay again.


	13. A Girls Day Out

**N/N's POV**

After the attack calmed down Seán kept me company for a couple of hours. We spend some of the time talking about random things, mostly me prompting him to talk more since I don't like talking about myself. He also took the time to check over my scarring tissue and cleaned where he needed to. I'm glad my humming calms his nerves.

When he was done we quietly enjoyed each other's company, watching the ocean as the sun sunk nearer to the horizon. There are still a few hours in the day, maybe I should try and get something more done before it ends.

Leaning back on my hands I look over to Seán and watch him trying to keep his eyes open. It's absolutely adorable watching his eyes fall shut only for him to try and shake himself awake every few moments. He makes the tiniest little grunt every time he shakes his head, kind of reminds me of a puppy.

After another minute or two his breathing evens out as he finally falls asleep. I quietly stand up and cover him with my blanket before leaving our.. my room. Maybe Amy could go with me for a swim.

As I turn towards the ladder I hear talking from Tessa's room. I don't know who she's talking to but.. something doesn't sound quite right. I decide to walk over and see what's going on. When I reach the door, I find it's been cracked open just enough to stand partially in the doorway and hear inside.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."

Wait.. Is that Chase, what did I just walk up to?

"That's.. to bad."

That definitely sounded like threat.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that's too bad. You can either stay here and do what I say, or I'll scream."

I quietly slide into the room, and see Chase facing my direction, Tessa facing away towards him. His panicked eyes flicker over to me only for a moment, so Tessa doesn't realize someone else can hear her.

"How do you figure that will help you? You're threatening me because I don't wanna sleep with you."

"Once I scream I know how to look hurt and distressed. I'll tell them you forced yourself on me and you'll be shunned. Kicked out and alone on this planet."

"No."

"Wrong answer."

She walks towards him quickly reaching out to grab his arm.

"He said no, Tessa."

She whips around with a look of shock on her face as Chase pushes past her to my side. He looks at me with both thanks and relief as Tessa tries to gather her thoughts.

"N/N... oh thank God you're here. Chase was-

"I've heard enough, Tessa. I've been able to hear you long enough to know what's going on."

Hesitantly she tries to stand taller.

"What are you gonna do?"

I can tell she's being careful with her words. She wants to over take us, but is smart enough to know that wouldn't go her way.

"Nothing... for now."

"What?"

"Yeah, What?" Chase whispers.

I walk over, stopping uncomfortably close to her face. Enough to notice, not enough to give an advantage.

"In a normal circumstance, I'd be beating your ass to a fucking pulp right now."

Both her and Chase visibly back away from me. I can feel my anger bubbling up, but I maintain my composure. I've found behaving unreasonably calm is more effective in frightening people.

"We need everyone together, working as a team to survive. We need to figure out what happened to us and how we got here. So for now, I'll do nothing."

Seeing relief overtake her I choose to release a small amount of my anger. Grabbing her by her suit collar and pushing her back against the wall. I hear them both gasp, her thoughts have become frantic.

"However, I'm going to give you this warning ONCE, and that's the only chance I'm giving you. If you ever try to pull any sort of bullshit like this again, you WILL have to deal with me. And honey I know how to torture you so badly you would be _begging_ me for the sweet release of death. **_And I will not give it to you."_**

Releasing her shaking body I turn and escort a petrified looking Chase back out from her room. I see her sneer and punch her bedding from the corner of my eye as were leaving. Once we're out and I close the door, Chase lightly grabs my wrist; making me flinch. He let go with a silent apology, his thoughts are much quieter then most.

"Thank you, for all that. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get out of that situation on my own."

"It's no problem, I fucking hate people like that. I've met far to many bad people to tolerate such ludicrous bullshit anymore."

"I'm glad you were there, and that you knew how to deal with that... Remind me never to piss you off though, I don't wanna know what would make someone beg to die."

"Oh, uh yeah. That was just me understanding that a fake threat was better then none in that kind of a situation."

I hate lying to them, to my friends.

"Well alrighty then. You really had me convinced, especially since you're the doctor who knows how everyone's bodies work."

"I kind of counted on that."

His laugh is a nice thing to hear after the stupidity that Tessa just tried to pull. Not to mention the day I've had.

"I don't really wanna stay in here right now, not after that."

"That's understandable. I was about to go for a swim, do you wanna go with me? Might clear your mind."

"Definitely. Is Seán already out there?"

"No, he fell asleep in my room after he helped me with the attack and my wounds."

"Yeah he did seem kind of tired today, so I'm not surprised," He paused as we walked into the entrance room," What happened anyways? Are you alright? Everyone was pretty worried, especially Seán."

"I'm sorry Chase.. but i don't really wanna talk about it. I have anxiety so when things that already bring up bad memories are mentioned, things like that happen. I'm alright now though, thanks to Seán and my calming exercises."

"That's okay, I understand. What matters is that you're better now."

"Thanks."

Matching our communication channels we swim out into the safe zone. There are a lot more air sacks swimming around today, every so often latching they're little claws into each other and swimming down under the coral.

The two of us swim around occasionally picking up resources we find in the sand and around the coral as the sun dips down and the sky's color changes. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this beautiful reef. While we're talking I joke that he has the same name as 'Chase Brody' and he tells me how he was actually based off of him! I laugh at how Seán knew he loved 'DudePerfect' so he asked to make a joke video about it. I was surprised to hear Chase was the one who suggested using actual information from his life like the situation with his wife and kids. Soon enough though the pain in my side starts kicking in and I tell Chase I need to go back in and rest.

He snatched a few fish on our way back for dinner and we head inside. This time I'm prepared for the pain of the pressure change and don't have any issues holding myself up when the water drains. Chase still seems to notice my posture change, but thankfully doesn't bring it up.

"Here." He hands me two of the three fish he'd caught.

"Oh, thanks."

"Yeah, I know we've all been a bit forgetful about eating enough since we've been so distressed and distracted, so I figured it would be a good idea to make sure you guys eat today."

"Thank you, I'm sure Seán will be happy about it."

"Heh, you guys are cute."

"What?" I say trying to not sound as flustered as I feel.

"I mean it's cool to see how much you guys have bonded since we've gotten here. Kind of refreshing to see since he's been kind of lonely for a while."

"Oh, I didn't know he'd been lonely."

We start cooking our fish as we talk.

"Well you are kind of the odd one out here, and he never really talked about it. It was just kind of obvious. Even when he moved closer to Felix there was always that little something missing for him. I'm not really sure if he even realized it, but everyone else did."

I'm glad we had just been swimming, or the blood running through my face would be a bit more embarrassing right now. I don't think I could shake this feeling in my stomach if I tried after that.

"I'm glad I could help. I know what it's like to be lonely all the time, so knowing I could help fix that for someone else makes me happy."

"Yeah me too. After my divorce I relied heavily on alcohol until he helped me get sober. He helped me out of my loneliness so I'm glad to see him find someone to help him out of it too." He smiles fondly before taking his fish.

"I'm glad he helped you through those hard times. Thanks for talking with me. I'm gonna bring him his fish and some water now. Thanks for the swim, was nice to get to know you."

"Alright, tell him I hope you guys feel better. Was fun getting to know you too."

He smiles and waves before heading off to his room as I turn back to my own. When I walk back to my bedding I gently shake Seán's arm waking him up from his nap.

Slowly he lifts his head and I start to giggle at his sleepy face and messy hair. He smiles goofily up at me and I let out more giggles as he sits himself up.

"What's so funny?" He nudges my arm.

"You're sleepy face is adorably silly."

His whole face lights up with a smile as he starts waving his arms around.

"Aww, Thank you!"

He nuzzles his head in the crock of my neck before sitting back up to take his meal. I have to try and ignore the fluttering in my chest while we eat our dinner.

"Did you go out by yourself?"

"What?"

"Your still damp from swimming, did you go by yourself?"

"Oh, no Chase went with me. I was gonna ask Amy but he needed a little time out in the water so he went with me instead."

"That's cool, just wanted to make sure you weren't alone with whatever you saw out there."

"No, I was smart about it. Was fun to get to hang out with Chase too, haven't really talked to him yet."

"You haven't really talked to most of our group yet." He chuckled.

"Heh... I guess that's true."

"Sorry, didn't mean it in a bad way. It's good that you're trying to get to know everyone better."

"I guess so."

He gives me an odd look, but decides not to discuss his buzzing thoughts.

When we're done eating we lay back down for the night, I can feel the warmth of his hand sitting next to mine. I turn over on my side to face him, already knowing my hand would end up resting just on top of his. I pretend not to notice when he glances down at our hands and starts to blush. I would have liked to just take his hand, but I don't have he nerve to do that.

"Goodnight, N/N."

"Goodnight, Seán."

~~

I wake up to the sound of someone knocking on our.. door to my room. Sitting up I see that Seán is already up and just leaving the bathroom, so I get up to join him at the door. It was Tessa.

"Hey, guys!"

That's odd.. I've literally never seen her be energetic before. She's always quiet or annoyed or something to that degree.

"Oh, hey Tess." Seán responds.

"Today's the day remember? Girls day and Guys day? Everyones getting up!"

He chuckles at her excitement, and I pull a fake smile up to my face.

"N/N still has to get ready so we'll be out soon."

"If you're already done why wait in her room? Come on silly, everyone's having fun getting ready to go together!"

Oh, that's what she's doing.

"Come on, I'm sure she'll be out in a minute."

She grabs his hand and gives me an overly exaggerated smile. She's taunting me. Because I disrupted her twisted plans with Chase she thinks she can just..

"Uh, I don't know. I mean I'm not gonna see her the rest of the day, and I feel kind of weird about it since I've been with her all this time. Might help to stay with her for a little."

I.. can't believe he said that. I knew that I felt weird about it, but I'm not used to being close to anyone. Hearing that he's got that feeling to is.. I don't even know what it is, but I know it makes me feel warm.

Tessa looks disappointed, I'm not awake enough to see if it's fake or not though. Seán looks back at me with a slightly guilty and questioning look, he's not sure what to do.

"Ya know, it really won't take me long. I'll be out before you know it." I manage to keep smiling," I mean.. I feel pretty weird about not seeing you all day either, but I did promise the girls I'd go."

I can barely believe I managed to say any of that. I'd have liked for him to stay, but I get the feeling Tessa might either actually like him or might find a way to get in his head about my threat to her. Either way, I don't have the right to tell him no. And I don't have the heart to prevent something that I'm not sure isn't real.. Wow, it hurts a lot more then I thought it would to think about that.

"Yay!! Come on, let's go!"

She drags him away before he has the chance to argue. Taking a deep breath I hurry to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

**~Chase's POV~**

Walk into the main room where everyone is gathering for the day. It looks like we're just waiting on Seán and N/N, Felix, and Tessa. After what happened yesterday I'm happy to know I won't be seeing Tessa for the rest of the day.

Once I reach the group I see Tessa practically dragging Seán over to the rest of us. Okay, what the actual fuck does she think she's doing? She looks like a fucking leech hanging on him like that, where is N/N? I don't really understand what's going on but I'm gonna find out.

Seeing Seán's confusion and unease I walk up to them trying to figure out how this might go.

"Hey dude, how'd you and N/N sleep?"

I made sure to put a slight emphasis on the fact that they're basically sharing a room, Tessa very clearly notices, momentarily glaring at me.

"I slept pretty well actually, she didn't have quite as many nightmares this time so I think she got some rest too."

He snakes his arm ways from Tessa looking relieved to get away and talk to me, though that didn't stop her from sticking around.

"Good, glad someone got some rest. Where is she by the way?"

"She's in the bathroom, said she'd be out soon."

"Yeah, she hadn't woken up to get ready yet. Since Seán was already set to go I asked if he could come wait with us and N/N agreed."

"Hah.. did Seán though? That's like the actual person you need consent from." I pretended to joke.

"It's fine, it's not like it really makes much of difference."

Seán was still smiling awkwardly, probably trying not to hurt Tessa's feelings. Thankfully I saw N/N coming out of they're room so hopefully Tessa would get the hint and fuck off.

"Hey guys, did I miss anything?"

Is she okay?

"Not really! Everyone's still getting together."  
Tessa smiled.

Seán seems to have noticed the slightly lower tone in her voice, it's hardly audible but it's still a bit worrisome. I finally realize Tessa keeps touching Seán, putting her hand on his arm or shoulder or just brushing against him. Is she _really_ trying to do that to N/N? Is she seriously going after Seán just to spite her? How shitty can one person get?

"You feeling alright?" He asks.

"Yeah, sorry I'm still kind of waking up. Who are we still waiting on?"

"Pretty much just-

"WHAT IS UP MY HOME SLICES!!"

"Never mind everyone is here."

Everyone starts separating and I can't help but notice the anxiety on Seán, and to a much more difficult extent to see, N/N's face. While Marzia was assuring Felix she would be fine Seán suddenly pulled N/N into a tight embrace. For the most part everyone else was distracted but I could see Tessa glaring daggers at them. Regardless of her though, it was a sweet moment to see. Whatever they've said to each other will hopefully help them relax for the day apart.

We all wave goodbye as the girls head out for they're bonding time and we all decide to settle in for a talk to start off the day. It's always nice to catch up and get to know how everyone's been doing. I wonder if I should tell them about Tessa.. she's been my 'partner' since we got here and I would really rather not keep dealing with her. I'm more than happy that we don't spend nearly as much time together as everyone else because that woman can be horribly insufferable.

"Okay, First things First!" Felix shouted, directing both of his hands towards Seán.

"Sweetie?"

Ah, yeah I knew that would show up sooner or later.

"Oh, COME ON!! It was ONE TIME and it was a high stress panic situation!!!"

"Oooh, but that's when the _truth_ comes out isn't it **Sweetie**?" Mark joined in.

"Aww, don't be so rude guys, I think they're _cuuuute_!" Sam said squishing his own face.

"You guys are dickholes." Seán laughed.

Glad he's such a good sport, because this is hilarious to watch.

"I actually do think y'all are cute though." I remarked.

"Yeah, okay. Rubbing my slip up in my face time is over, let's just move on."

"Awww, fine." Mark whines.

"So how are you doing with the whole 'gonna be a dad' thing Felix?" Sam asked

"I cannot express how overjoyed and utterly terrified I am at literally all times." He smiled.

"That's parenthood for ya, we're all really happy for you guys." Seán responded

This aught to be a nice day.

**~N/N's POV~**

We reached the high rise by the edge of the safe zone and each of us went to collect as many Little Rock's, colorful corals, scales, and little plant bits as we wanted. We shared jokes and general silly conversation until we were all finished and gathered together on the high rise.

Amy had collected a lot of shiny shells and scales that were mostly pink or white with some bead like things and a few twigs and plants.

Marzia went for the deep purple shells and a whole lot of rainbow colored rocks.

Beth gathered all black shells and a few bits of semi-brightly colored plants to contrast the dark shells.

Tessa got a whole bunch of green plants and scales with a few pebbles here and there.

I personally gathered about an even proportion of green and red rocks, shells, and scales. I had only grabbed one pieces of a petrified plant for my items.

We started pulling apart one of the extra suits we made and started making string to scan while we talking about the beautiful surroundings and how long we've been here. Everyone but me talked a lot about they're lives back home and the things they missed as well as people they worried about, but everyone still managed to be in a positive and optimistic mood. Thankfully no one noticed my constant redirection of the conversation any time I might have to talk about myself or my life.

We finally scanned the initial strings and were able to make more with the remaining material from the first spare suit. Unsure of what to make I noticed everyone either working on a head piece, a bracelet, or a necklace of some kind so I started with the smallest option. Maybe I could make like a belt or something for my regular clothes too.

"So Tessa!" Beth started," Don't think I didn't see you looking at Seán with those little heart eyes of yours!!"

My stomach knots so hard I almost gag.

"Oh.. haha. Yeah I guess I'm not very good at being anything but obvious."

The other girls look at each other with.. concern? Is it worry? I'm not sure.

"You.." Amy pauses briefly," You have a crush on Seán?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. He's kind of piqued my interest, though I'm not really all that sure of how I'd go about getting to know him better."

Oh no..

"Well maybe?.."

Please don't.

"N/N, you're pretty close to him, right? Do you think you could help me out? I know I was kind of a pain yesterday but.. I really need your help."

I have to force myself to remain composed and breathe. She wouldn't have brought up her behavior last night in front of everyone if she didn't really have some kind of feelings would she... I look at her begging face and I just can't get myself to get in the way of someone who isn't broken that could potentially make him happy. I've been in the way too many times before to... to let it happen again. I can't keep people away from what could make them happy.. I'm not good enough to take that risk.

I manage to force a small smile onto my face, and with a lot of difficulty speak in a slightly quiet but stable voice.

"I guess I could try to help.. though I've only known him for a few days so I can't promise I can do a lot."

"Thank you so much!!" She grips my hand in thanks from across our supplies," Ugh! I can't thank you enough."

Everyone else in the group looks downright shocked. Concern still playing on there faces they politely respond with things like 'You're so sweet' 'that's terribly kind of you' and 'wow that's really helpful for Tess' trying to cover up they're obvious confusion. I know the way I feel about him is easy to see, or they wouldn't be reacting that way. But who am I to get in the way when I'm just a fucking-

"I have a cool idea guys!" Amy randomly shouts.

"We should all make one of each thing! A head piece, necklace, and bracelet so we can all match!"

"That's a great idea." Marzia chips in.

"I um.. I also kind of wanted to make a belt, if that's alright."

"I hadn't even thought of that! Oooh, I'm totally doing that too." Beth flails.

"Sounds like a plan!" Tessa smiles back at me.

We continue to talk about mostly minor things as we work on our accessories together. I'm actually kind of proud of how my bracelet turned out, it's fits well is pretty sturdy and looks cool. Everyone starts moving on to the next item at about the same time, so we seem to be pretty in sync.

"So, N/N you got anybody waiting for you back home? Boyfriend, girlfriend, anything?"

Beth does kind of seem like the clueless one when it comes to people she's not very close to.

"No, just a father figure I'm sure is worried.."

I pause for a moment wondering if maybe this would be a good time to try and open myself up more. We're supposed to be bonding after all..

"Actually I Uh.." Everyone's focus turns to me," I used to. My old boyfriend and I had dated for about 4 years."

"What happened?" Marzia asked.

I pulled at the small chain around my neck, releasing the ring I had keep under my suit or shirt at all times. They immediately fell silent.

"About three years ago, almost to the day I think, he was going to propose to me. There was a huge event going on and everyone within the closest few cities had been invited. My entire family was going, even the extending parts. All of my friends too, unbeknownst to me they were all going because my boyfriend had told them all his plans to ask me there."

I glance up to see them all focused on my words, concerned anticipation in they're eyes. I take a calming breath.

"Everyone I knew, everyone I loved was there. Save for one of the men who helped raise me. My dog threw up so I had to clean it up and was a few minutes late. Not 30 seconds after I got out of my car to head inside the convention center.. a bomb went off."

I watch the horrified reactions of each girl as they come to understand what I was about to tell them.

"I didn't even really have a conscious thought, but I wrapped my face in my shawl and just.. ran inside. I found a lot of people, and ended up guiding and carrying them out in groups. On my last two or so trips the firefighters had arrived and were helping from the other side. I was about to go in for the 15th or so time when.." I have to catch my breath before continuing," Another bomb went off and the rest of the building collapsed."

I realize I'd been intently staring down at my hands, but I wasn't surprised to see tears in some of there eyes when I looked back up.

"The fighters had pulled my mother out before the second explosion and I rode with her to the hospital. She held my hand and started telling me how happy she was for me and that she and dad had already given permission.. neither of us knew if he had even survived.. my mother reached out and hugged me tight to tell me she loved me before she died."

I felt a tear escape my left eye, regardless of how hard I was trying to keep it in. I could see some of the girls were already in tears.

"Turns out none of them made it out alive. Almost everyone I knew and loved was just.. gone. When they found (Ex/bf)'s body they told me he had a literal death grip around the ring box."

I fiddled with the ring between my fingers.

"They said I should have it, since it was meant for me.. I haven't really been close to anyone new since then."

"Oh my God.."  
*whimpering*  
*quiet crying*  
"You poor thing.."

Marzia, who was to my left wrapped her arms around me and soon enough everyone else joined in. They tried speaking comforting words and rubbing little circles into my back.

"It's alright," They all sat back once again,"It was almost three years ago now. With as depressing and painful as it is, it's in the past. There's nothing anyone can do or say to change it. It can't be fixed, so I need to try and focus on what's going on now. If I didn't I'd just be stuck in a downward spiral forever."

Everyone agreed with me but also reminded me that it's important to let myself feel my feelings. I already knew that, but I thanked them for their concern anyways. I can't believe I'm sitting here with such amazing and understanding women. How did I even get here? Chosen to live through this with such strong and loving people? With as scary as this situation is, I could never have asked for better people to be with.

My thoughts are disrupted when I hear a faint far away sound. It's similar to the sound of a car starting up, but not quite the same. Did I imagine that? It was so faint I'm not sure.

"What are you looking for?" Marzia asks.

"I could have sworn I heard something.. I don't know."

Everyone starts looking around together but none of us see anything, maybe it was just me.

"Hey, my hands are starting to hurt, you guys wanna take a swim for a bit? Not with the gear just like a regular swim." Beth suggests.

"Sounds good to me." Tessa's still acting more energetic than usual, I wonder how long that's gonna last.

"I kind of promised I wouldn't push myself too much, since my wounds are finally starting to really scar together."

"That's fine, I kind of just feel like sitting in the sun anyways." Amy says scooting up to my left.

Beth does a cannon ball into the water, followed by Tessa belly flopping, and Marzia carefully stepping in. We continue discussing pets and hobbies as they swim around and relax.

"So.." Amy starts,"Are you really gonna help Tessa? I mean considering.. I just mean you know you don't _have_ to right?"

"I know I don't have to, but she really seems to want to get to know him. Who am I get in the way of that?"

"Do you even realize?.." She cuts herself off to think.

"Have you ever thought.. that maybe.. he might like someone else? Aside from Tessa?"

"I have, but it's not like I've asked him about it. I don't know anything for sure so I shouldn't make decisions based on a thought. Besides.."

She raises her eyebrows at me, trying to get me to finish my sentence.

"Tessa is an interesting person. She's strong willed and smart, not to mention fairly stable in herself." I look over to where Tessa is swimming," She's cute, and she's confident too. He deserves somebody like that, and I'm sure she deserves to be happy too."

I say that.. but I'm not entirely confident about my final remark.

"What about you?" She whispers.

I had hoped she'd not go there.

"What about me?"

"Well you... there's nothing she has that you don't, or that any of us do for that matter. So why choose to help her?"

"You're right about the rest of you," I turn to look her in the eyes," But there are a million things about me that none of you know anything about. I'm not the same as the rest of you, and there are a hell of a lot of bad things that come with getting close to me."

Not wanting to continue looking at the pain and concern in her eyes I look back to the group.

"So many of the things that come with being close to me.. I'd not wish on anyone. Why do you think I always divert conversation away from me and my life? Why I never open up and hardly talk unless I need to?"

I see realization cross her face from the corner of my eye, she's finally understanding how little everyone still knows of me.

"Don't get me wrong.. for the first time in a long time I'm actually trying. Opening up and being close is horribly difficult and terrifying to me, but I'm trying." I finally meet her gaze again," That's why I'm helping her. I want to be able to be a good friend, and anything that could turn into more than a friendship... I don't think I can do it. Not now, when I can barely even talk as friends with anyone. Hell, you're the person I've revealed the most to and a lot of it was yesterday. Seán deserves someone who isn't.. broken. Someone who can love him, who knows how to love him."

"Don't you deserve to be happy too?"

"Unlike a lot of people, I can get any happiness I need by seeing the people I care about happy and helping others. I don't necessarily need to be happy in those areas to still have joy."

"I know what hollow happiness looks like when I see it, N/N. Everyone can see how you feel about him, and how he feels about you. Even if you can't handle it right now, why not stick together and wait?"

"I know, it's not like either of us would even know how to keep it a secrete if we tried. But you're forgetting what else I said.. he deserves someone who's not broken, someone who can and will love him fully."

"And you think Tessa of all people, fits that description? No offense, but she seems like she's acting to me. I don't know why, but it's almost like she's trying to spite you or something."

"I don't know, Amy."

"Can you at least promise me one thing? As a friend?"

"What?"

"Promise you won't just take it lying down. You do deserve happiness and the two of you really seem to care about one another. Help her a little bit if you really want, but don't give up on him."

I sigh heavily, I don't think I've ever had this many emotional conversations in my life and I'm starting to feel exhausted from it all. Wasn't today supposed to be relaxing? Fiddling with my ear, I finally decide to do what might actually be right for me. For once in my life..

"Okay.. I promise."

She holds up her pinky to me.

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear."

After we lock fingers we decide to join the rest of the girls in swimming for a little while, thankfully the water doesn't sting in my wounds to much today. I wonder what the guys are doing.


	14. Answers

**Marzia's POV**

While everyone is swimming and having fun together something reflective catches my eye. I can't see what it is from here, but it looks like it could be important. I start swimming towards it but soon realize it's a little ways beyond the boarder of the safe zone. I could reach it pretty quickly, but from what I do know about this world there are some of those sand shark things over in that area.

I look back to the girls hanging just a foot or two behind me, still talking and swimming quietly. Should I bother them with this? I mean it's right there! It wouldn't be hard to just grab whatever it is and come back.

I cautiously look around the area where the object is, I don't see anything dangerous. Hell, I don't even really see a lot of fish at all. I start swimming towards it, pulling myself along the floor both to move faster, and to be less noticeable. In no more than a few moments I find what I was looking for. It's... a PDA? Did one of us go by here and drop this? We've never had any we hadn't made ourselves.

Realizing my lungs were getting weak from holding my breath I started pulling back to the group. I come back up just back inside of the barrier and calmly take a moment to breathe before bringing up the PDA.

"Hey, I found something!"

The girls look to see me holding the PDA and start swimming over to me, and I go to meet them half way. Before anyone else really gets a good look I see N/N's eyes widen in shock. I hand it to her, knowing she's best at reading and navigating these things.

"Oh my God.." She whispers.

"What is it, what does it say?" Beth asks.

"There's...," She takes a deep breath," Theres.. a whole lot of information here. We need to get this back so everyone can see it. Sorry girls, but we'll have to finish our bonding time another day."

A little disappointed but definitely understanding, we all collect our things and start to make our way back to the base. This place seemed so much smaller whenever I watched Felix play it.

As we're swimming back N/N suddenly stops, as if she heard or saw something that startled her. She looked frozen. Suddenly she turned to look off towards the floating islands, searching for something, listening maybe. She was so intensely focused that when I tapped her shoulder she practically jumped out of her skin, I had to remind her we needed to keep up with the others and she started off again.

What was that about? I didn't hear or see anything, so what could have so entirely grabbed her attention like that? Maybe she's more familiar with water than I am or has stronger senses? I don't know, and now isn't the time to focus on that.. Though I can't shake the feeling that whatever she felt must have been something dangerous.

We arrive back to the base and start to piling inside the entrance room, still curious I glance to N/N and see her brace herself just before the water drains. I wonder if it's because of her injuries. Looking around the others, everyone seems on edge after the abrupt end to our day out, everyone is worried about what could be on that PDA.

As we enter the main room we see the guys coming down the ladder to meet us, they must have heard us coming in. Considering our extremely early return, they look fairly confused. They're confusion soon turns to worry as they notice the grim looks on all of our faces, and the PDA in N/N's hands.

Felix comes to meet me, making sure I'm alright and that nothing happened to me, I see Sam and Mark do the same with Beth and Amy. Both Chase and Seán immediately approach N/N with nearly the exact same expression on they're faces. Tessa.. looks put off. Probably because of her new found feelings for Seán, maybe seeing how he is with N/N will give her a change of heart.. at least I hope so. At least she knows this isn't the time to bring it up.

"Marzia found this while we were out by the boarder near the Aurora."

N/N holds out the PDA for everyone to see. As if by instinct we gather around her sitting down, ready to listen to whatever she has to say. Heh, feels almost like a meeting. A very grim.. meeting.

"When Marzia showed us this PDA and gave it to me to look through it was obvious it wasn't made by any of us, it's the wrong color. Ours are white and blue, this one has purple."

Everyone nodded, signifying that we all understood.

"It only took me a moment of reading to realize that this PDA... it has answers. I think whoever made this place.. whoever put us here wrote this. I don't know if they left it for us to find on purpose or not, but we finally have something to help us."

"What does it say?" Chase asked.

"There's a whole lot of info here, so I hope you don't mind a monologue."

Noises of approval ripple around the circle we'd made before she began to read.

"Project: Peace By Force has been in the words for over 15 years. Myself, and a handful of the worlds richest families saw the horrible direction humankind was headed and decided amongst ourselves, that if the governments refused to act we would instead. We discretely hired the worlds top scientists, among other people of particular talent.."

She paused, seeming not to know how to react to the words she'd just read. She looked concerned, but continued none the less.

"To help put our plans into practical motion. The scientists helped us develop the environment, the proper sizing of the planets, the locations that could be unseen by the rest of Earth, and the genetic information for the animals. Later they also assisted in the creation of the zone barriers and the technologies that was to be provided for the selected survivors. The people of particular talents then utilized they're special skills to begin creating the planets."

"Wait... planets? As in, plural?" Sam cautiously asked.

"It looks like it."

"How is it even possible to pull something like that off?" Amy asked.

With a grim look and her face N/N stared at the PDA.

"People of special talents.."

Everyone else was still confused, but none of us tried asking if she really understood what that meant.

"As the formation progressed we proceeded to select groups of 7-30 well known people per planet, based on category. With the Earth dying of man-made toxins and gasses with our population on the brink of war we had to find a way to get everyone's attention at once. Well known people, higher ups, and celebrities are always at the forefront of the populations collective mind; what better way to make everyone stop and listen then to take these people and put them in harms way? If we can get everyone to work together, stop fighting, work to save Earth, and put aside our differences then it will all be worth it."

The room feels dead silent every time she pauses her speech, it's as if even the ocean itself stopped flowing to listen in.

"Saving the Earth and saving humanity must be our focus, no matter what it takes. For the good of everyone. The world has always stopped for the idealized and the brilliant, so this is the best plan of action as well as the least likely for any more people to die."

What kind of fucked up, backwards logic is this!?

"We have selected figures from top News Stations, Social Media forums, Theater and Music artists both live and Pre-recorded. We have also selected top government officials from every corner of the world, and a handful of 'world prodigies' for the sake of better survival. While each planet has one prodigy based off of they're needs, everyone else is separated by category on they're own planets."

That explains why N/N is the one no one else knew when we arrived here. I guess that means our planet is most likely one of the more dangerous.

"After basing each planet off of pre-existing concepts we implemented the watch system, so that we can choose to either stream the survival of the chosen people, or take snippets at a time to release to the public. At this time, the format is undecided as we have yet to know which style will best get the attention and cooperation of the public. Once people cooperate and work together, we will bring everyone back safely. Sadly, until then they must remain out of everyone else's reach. Weather or not visits of any kind, staff or otherwise, will be allowed is TBD."

Her voice trailed off, finalizing the information in the device I had somehow stumbled upon. No one knew what to say. We just sat there in stunned silence, just trying to process what we'd just learned. Felix pulls me into his lap to hold me close, cursing our captors under his breath.

I start looking around again and am not surprised by everyone's reactions.   
Tessa is staring off into her thoughts, wide eyed with tears starting to fall down her face.   
Mark looks extremely angry and Amy is gripping his hand trying to calm him down, obviously shaking herself.  
Sam and Beth are holding each other close, in a somewhat sorrowful way. They look like they think they're going to die. I wish I could say I'm not wondering the same thing.  
Chase and Seán are staring at each other, expressions changing ever so slightly on and off. They look like there trying to help each other calm down and focus on breathing.  
N/N stood up, her expression completely unreadable.

Everyone looks up at our now standing companion, looking for something to grab onto. Some kind of hope or direction. She take a deep breath as she looks around at us.

"We've made it this far, there's no reason to give up now. Yes the people who put us here have really fucked up logic, but it says right here clear as day; they're going to bring us home. Now I don't know how long until that day comes, but if we don't fight to survive we'll never find out. Just because we now know _why_ we're here doesn't change anything, we've worked to survive this long and I don't know about y'all but I'm not about to just up and quit. We've chosen to work together and survive even without any answers because we _want_ to survive, to live, and to one day make it back home. Life hasn't stopped being worth it just because these people are misguided... So we don't give up. I'll be damned if we let something as simple and empowering as knowledge break us down."

I see Amy stand up and I follow suite. The two of us take N/N into a tight hug as everyone else starts getting up. With tears on our faces we share this moment together. A moment of connection and resilience that I don't think any of us have ever felt before. I don't know what we would do without her, and I can feel that right now everyone wants nothing more then to thank her for being such an amazing leader.

After a minute or two everyone breaks apart, looks of determination and strength on our face. It's obvious that we're still worried about the future, but at least we have hope. Our sense of purpose rejuvenated.

Everyone starts talking and slowly relaxes more and more. Tessa has started trying to hang onto Seán, Chase looking at her somewhat angrily. Thankfully, aside from that everyone seems to be a much better mood now. I decide to walk closer to everyone so I can say something.

"Hey ladies, since we had to cut our day short, do you all wanna finish up our bonding time tomorrow? I promise I won't go picking up any weird PDA's this time."

Most everyone laughs at my joke, agreeing that we should finish our bonding time. Especially after all of this.

"Hey, Seán! Since everyone's here we should go pick up some dinner for all of us to share! I'd go myself but we're supposed to stick together, right?" Tessa asks.

"That would be nice actually, I could definitely go for some food." Sam says.

"Maybe someone else can go with you?" Amy tries to suggest.

"Why? I mean none of us guys have been swimming around like y'all have, and pretty much all of us have our significant others to worry about." He retorted.

"Yeah but.." I tried to interrupt.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, it's not like they'll be gone long." Beth responded, obviously trying to help Tessa out.

"Then it's settled!" Tessa clapped," Come on, we'll be back in no time!"

She started pulling Seán along as she moves towards the exit. He clearly doesn't have the heart to tell her no.. or the time to really. N/N has got that blank expression plastered across her face again, I hope she's okay.

I was about to go ask how she was taking this when Chase beat me to her, she gave him a slight smile as he looked at her sympathetically. He still looks fairly angry about this regardless of the sympathy and worry for our friend. Hopefully he can keep her company until Seán can get back and away from Tessa. There's something about what she's doing hat doesn't feel right.

"Guys!!!" Beth excitedly shouts," If you question if you can find music the screen pops up a search bar and you can find any song you want!!"

She motions as if hitting a button and an old but catchy techno song fills the room causing Beth to jump around happily. I giggle at her excitement as I bop by head along to the beat.

"M'lady."

I turn to see Felix bent down opening his hand to me as an invitation to dance, I gladly take it. We start dancing around and being silly as the song continues and the others start to join in. Pretty soon everyone was dancing and having a good time, blowing off steam. Everyone accept N/N who was leaning against one of the walls, judging by the hand to her side she's probably in a little too much pain to join us just yet. Hopefully she'll be able to have some fun with everyone soon, she deserves it.


	15. A Dance & An Errand

**Chase's POV**

After about 3 songs had played everyone seems to have relaxed from the earlier news. Everyone is either dancing around or just kind of swaying. Amy and Mark are pseudo wiggle-dancing and laughing to themselves. Beth and Sam seem to be doing some basic waltzing while Marzia and Felix are swaying and talking happily.

I look over to the side N/N is standing at and watch her smile calmly, admiring the atmosphere of companionship filling the room. It looks like the pain in her side has gone down for now, hopefully it really starts healing soon. I wonder if she likes to dance.

She looks over to me and waves briefly, still smiling. Trying not to feel awkward about being caught staring, I make my way over to her.

"It's nice to see everyone happy." She says.

I don't think I've ever seen her look so content.

"Yeah, it is."

She sighs, leaning back on the wall. Every feature of her body seems to radiate a strength so much of the time, it's good to see it all melt into a calm happiness. She looks back over to me, tilting her head slightly, her eyes always seem like they can see everything. It's odd to feel so comfortable with the idea of someone being able to look right through you.

Pushing off the wall I step in front of her and offer my hand.

"Wanna dance?"

She chuckles quietly and takes my hand as the song changes back to a more upbeat tune. I have no idea how to legitimately dance so I just take both of her hands and sway them side to side as we step back and forth. She starts to laugh and I can't help but laugh with her as I spin her under my hand. She seems to enjoy dancing a good deal.

For another couple of songs we just keep dancing and swaying, being silly and having fun. At one point Amy and Marzia pulled N/N aside and started skipping in circles around Mark, Sam, Felix, and I before Mark picked Amy up and started yelling about winning the best girlfriend prize. Felix and Sam automatically following suit and arguing who the real winner was. N/N and I standing by laughing. She nudged my shoulder with hers so I would turn to look at her... before she proceeded to briefly pick me up and walk in a circle. She's a lot stronger than she looks! Everyone else laughs and comments on her unexpected strength before returning to dancing.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"I have good control of my muscles and knowledge of how to use certain ones when needed so it doesn't stress an injury. So nope!"

"Well, Good! Nobody wants you to get any more hurt."

She mumbled something I couldn't quite hear.

"What?"

"Nothing," She offers her hand to me," Wanna Dance a little more?"

"Sure!"

I take her hand and pull her into a simple two step her face seeming content. One more song later and we hear the front hatch open and close, Seán and Tessa are back. Ugh.. Tessa. I swear if she tried to pull any kind of shit while they were out there I'm gonna be pissed. I look to N/N and see her face light up when Seán enters the room. Wow, she really looks like she might be glowing. Sadly her eyes dim slightly when Tessa struts in and is basically sticking to his side like glue. I grimace at how much more unhappy he looks than when they left.

"Dance party? Hell yeah!!" Sean yells," Wait when did we get music?"

"Beth figured out if you ask about music a search bar comes up and you can play anything." Mark smiles

"Dude, nice!"

"Everyone, come pick your fish!" Tessa calls squeakily.

Everyone goes and grabs a fish or two from them and heads over to cook them on the fabricators. They've only been back a couple of minutes and three times now Seán has tried to go see N/N but was intercepted by Tessa. I feel like I should do something, so I walk up and stop in front of him.

"You should come sit with me and N/N, we can tell you about the shenanigans that went down while you were out."

"Sounds good!" He said quickly pushing away from Tessa and over to N/N.

She glares at me as she passes to go bother them more, God she's insufferable. I walk over and sit on the other side of Seán from N/N so she can't sit directly next to him. Watching her dangle off of him would ruin my appetite anyways.

The two of us fill them in on the silliness that went down between taking bites, and laughing about the stupidity. When I look down I see Seán and N/N's hands so close to each other they're touching, like if they just turned them over they'd pretty much be holding hands. I may or may not have contemplated just grabbing they're hands and putting them together.

N/N's body suddenly goes stiff, like something scared her out of nowhere. Seán obviously noticing, gently touches her arm to get her attention. She doesn't react, she just looks completely and intensely focused. She's... listening? What is she listening for? A moment later she relaxes and tells us she had thought she heard something, but was probably wrong. I can't help but wonder though.. what could she have heard that made her that anxious?

"Hey guys." N/N raises her voice," I think it's about time we work on getting the water filtration system. We have the resources to make 3 Seamoth, and we need to not have to worry about always finding bladder fish to stay hydrated."

"Who's gonna go?" Sam asked.

"We don't know if they'll actually be too small for multiple people or not, but we do need to keep together. If they aren't big enough we can have one person either latch on or follow so no one is alone." Everyone nods in agreement," Marzia should stay here since the area with the filtration system is in a dangerous area, so her and Felix can look for whatever supplies we need when the blueprints are found."

"Yeah that's probably for the best." Amy replies.

"I would feel better if we had two people standing watch at the top of the base with all the possible dangers going around. So whoever is left will go out to get the blueprints, and any resources we can from the cave system."

"So while two of us go and scan things inside the old base the rest of us can defend and grab resources?" Sam asks.

"Exactly." She confirms.

Tessa perks up with an idea.  
"Oh, I can stay and do watch with-

"Me, since we've been partners this far." I interrupt.

"That settles it then, let's get started." N/N quickly answers.

It's good to see her fighting back.

**~Seán's POV~**

When we finally got everything fabricated we gathered what we might need for the trip and start piling into our newly made seamoths. While they are one seaters, the seats are generally big enough for two people to sit together, albeit with legs slightly on top of each other as Mark and Amy discovered when trying it out.

After matching communication channels with the group we start climbing into our vehicles. I climb in first since I'm slightly bigger than N/N and don't want to accidentally kick her. Stepping through the force field that keeps the water out, I adjust more to the left side as N/N starts in. I end up having to turn my head away when her butt comes down by my face before she gets sat down. That was a weird and unexpected sight.

Her left leg overlaps my right leg when she's finally sat down. I grab the controls and quickly realize it's not going to be easy to do sitting like this, since the controls are centered. N/N noticed my hesitation and grabbed the other side of the wheel giving me a cheesy smile, I guess were doing this.

Our convoy starts making it's way to where we know the cave entrance is near, which thankfully we know isn't too far out. Once we find the general area, we spread out to find the opening which Mark and Amy end up coming across first.

One by one we make our decent traveling as far down as our vehicles can go without damage. Immediately we spot the broken down base.

"Okay, who's going in to scan everything?" Beth asked.

"I'd rather gather the surrounding materials, especially since I'm a good swimmer." Mark offered.

"Me and Beth can stand guard if N/N and Seán will do the scans." Sam remarked.

"Alright, we can do that." I respond.

N/N looks a bit nervous, holding onto her side. I think she's worried the pressure will hurt it more.

"You can stay in here if you need to, scanning won't take long."

"It's alright, it's better to scan as much as we can at once anyways."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'll be alright, I did a little extra wrapping just before we left so it won't be damaged any more. It'll just hurt a bit from the pressure change, sadly the suits only help so much for that."

"Alright, just promise you won't push it. It's finally starting to make progress in healing."

"I promise."

Everyone pushes out into the water, N/N subtly flinching with the sudden pressure. We split up from Mark and Amy, everyone agreeing to hurry back. The roar of the giant worm snakes echoing in our ears puts everyone on edge.

It doesn't take long to get inside the base and around the jellyfish. We start going along scanning the desks, chairs, and lockers. Finally we reach the water filtration and I start the most important of the scans while N/N goes to scan anything else we might need. Just a few moments after I finish my scan N/N finishes a scan of a king sized bed I had forgotten was in this base. Finally, we can have beds!! Hopefully all the backache is gonna get better now, and Marzia won't have to worry about having a good place to rest.

Beth and Sam start shouting and panting when one of the snake worms starts coming after them. N/N and I hurry out to help, and thankfully with the four of us working together it comes down fast. Obviously not wanting any more incidents we hurry back to our seamoths telling Mark and Amy to head back from wherever they are.

Just like before I step into the Seamoth first getting settled in before N/N. Unfortunately with the huge pressure change as soon as her waist passes into the air her whole body contracts and she falls the rest of the way in and landing on top of me, nearly knocking the controls downward. Wrapping my arms round her, I sit her more upright to get a better look at her side.

"Oh my God, are you okay? Did anything re-open? Are you bleeding again?"

She took a deep shaky breath before answering me.

"Nothing opened I'm alright, I'm so sorry it just hurt a lot more then I anticipated. I thought the suit would help a little more than it does."

She tried to get up but stiffened after a minor attempt. She's probably gonna need to stay still until we get back, so I adjust myself and take the controls around her, starting out with the others. She doesn't protest since she probably knows it wouldn't do any good.

"Can you guys here me?"

"Yes Mark, we pre-set our communication remember?" N/N chuckled.

"Oh.. right."

"Whatcha need?" Beth asked.

"I just wanted to tell everyone we got some rubies, diamonds, and pretty useful ore down there. We should be able to do a fair amount with it all."

"Oh good! I don't know if we'll need any of that for the water filtration but I'm sure we'll use it." Sam answered.

"I actually found something too." N/N said.

I wonder what it is, she seems a little nervous about it.

"What did you find?" Amy asked.

"I Uh... I found another PDA."

Everyone was quiet. After what we found out with the last one, none of us were sure if we even wanted to know what it had to say. Unfortunately we're all aware that we probably need whatever it has to offer.

"Should we wait to read it until we've had more time to think on the last one?" N/N asked.

"No," I said," If we try to wait it'll consume our minds and we won't be able to focus. We might as well learn what we can."

Everyone agreed to look into it once we were finally back home. Hopefully the filtration system will be ready so we won't have quite as much to worry about, I can't believe this is only our fifth day here.


	16. Back to The Base

**Seán's POV**

On our way back we came across an area of wreckage that flew a ways from the Aurora, Mark deciding we needed to stop and see what we could find. We all descended beside the wreckage where there was an opening big enough to swim through and I steady the Seamoth to get out when I realize N/N had fallen asleep in my lap.

Okay, what do I do here.

"Uh.. hey Mark?"

"What's up buddy?"

"I can't really get up."

"What? Why?"

"N/N is kind of asleep."

"So?"

"Mark," Amy interjected," She's asleep ON him."

"OOOH!!"

"Hush!" She replied," She can probably hear you."

"Oh... sorry."

"How did she end up on you?" Beth asked, in an odd tone of voice.

"When she got back inside, the huge pressure change hurt her injuries really badly and she basically fell the rest of the way in. She couldn't really move for a bit after that so I just adjusted her so I could drive."

"Huh.." Beth sighed.

Why does she sound so put off?

"Alright, you can just keep watch from the Seamoth for us." Sam answered.

"Sounds good, sorry guys."

"No problem!" Amy chirped, as they all went inside.

I let go of the wheel relaxing my arms around N/N and watched for any dangers near by. Nothing, just the regular peepers and small fish around. I look down at N/N peacefully sleeping, her head laying against my chest and her hands gently holding onto my suit.

This is the first time I've seen her sleep without having a nightmare within the first two minutes. I wonder if it has anything to do with where she is.. regardless I'm glad she's been getting rest. Although she's healing abnormally fast, she's still got a long way to go.

I pull her closer and watch out the window while I wait for the others to come back. I can hear them chattering to each other but I don't pay any attention to what they're saying. It's hard to focus on much at the moment, aside from what I can see and the warmth of N/N's body.

"Hey, Seán?"

"Yeah Mark?"

"How has she been doing?"

"She's alright, still sleeping. Surprisingly she hasn't had a nightmare yet which I'm pretty happy about."

"That's good, but not what I meant."

"What?"

"He meant, how has she been doing since the leviathan attack and the panic she had." Amy replied.

"Oh, yeah that would make sense."

I look down to her, she always seems so prominent and somewhat independent when she's awake. It's feels weird to see her curled up and relaxed.

"She's healing at an extremely rapid rate, like it's really freaky how fast she's healing. I'm not complaining though, I'm really glad about it but it kinda weirds me out."

I hear them hum in acknowledgment.

"As for the panic attack, she hasn't really told me what happened that freaked her out yet, but she's alright. Hasn't had any issues since but I've been trying to keep an eye out regardless."

"That's good, I'm glad to hear it." Mark replied.

"Me too." Amy said.

"Hopefully she'll be back to normal soon!" Beth piped up, Sam grunting in agreement.

"Agreed.."

"I think she's finally getting more comfortable with the girls too, I'm pretty excited about maybe getting to be closer friends." Amy said.

"I know!" Beth interrupted,"I had no idea she was gonna open up to all of us the way she did earlier today."

That sounds like good news, hopefully she'll feel more like she belongs with us soon.

"Yeah, I just wish she'd had something happier to tell us.. I can't help but feel awful about all the things she told us. I'm worried that could be why she's seemed so distant." Beth murmured.

"What did she tell you guys?"

"Considering we don't know what she has or hasn't told you we probably shouldn't be talking about it. I mean we really don't have the right to share her personal stuff." Amy answered apologetically.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have brought it up." Beth apologized.

"It's alright, it happens." I tell her.

As much as I want to know her and understand her more, I don't have the right to go behind her back over stuff she needs to decide to tell me on her own.

"Guys, the sun is like halfway set, we should head out."

"Alright Seán, we're almost done with these blueprints. They're for the Sub so we should be all set soon." Sam remarked.

"Awesome."

While I waited for them to come back I notice that a huge piece of the wreckage is sticking straight up, the end of it looking horribly sharp. There looks to be a chunk of... skin? Tissue? Something that looks like it came off of one of the big fish hanging off the end of it. I wonder if that's what happened to the reefback we found before. How would it have hit it hard enough for that though? I wish I knew.

N/N flinches in her sleep, like she'd suddenly heard something loud. Thankfully she quickly settled back down. The blueprint came through and I look back up to see the others finally heading back to their seamoths.

"We're ready." Mark said.

"Same here." Beth responded.

"Good to go." I answered.

We set out once again, using the headlights to see where we're going. This place is a lot more terrifying at night when nothing is visible. Thankfully we only have about ten more minutes to get back home.

**~Mark's POV~**

We finally arrive back at the base and park our seamoths beside the entrance. As were getting out I see Seán carefully climbing out with N/N still in his arms. I guess he didn't want to wake her up just to go inside and probably go back to bed.

"Need any help?"

"I'm gonna climb up top to get inside that way, if you could help me get up that'd be great."

"Can do."

I step from the Seamoth to the top of the first floor hallway and help Seán get up from the other side. Thankfully, since the buildings are stacked there's an automatically built in ladder. Seán heads up first and I spot him from behind, He's somehow managed to lean her whole body against him so he can hold her up with one arm. Impressive.

Once we get to the top I climb down first so I can continue to spot him on his way down. When we reach the ground floor everyone is standing together next to three newly built water filters. From the looks of it one of them is connecting pipes to the bathrooms and the others are for drinking.

Marzia, Felix, Chase, and Tessa look at me confused until they see Seán come down with N/N in his arms. Tessa looks a bit unhappy, Beth reaching over to her to try and either calm or comfort her. I think I might understand what's going on with Tessa now. Chase walks up to us just as Seán reaches the bottom of the ladder.

"Is she alright?" He whispers.

"Yeah, she's just exhausted. She's been doing a whole lot with some pretty big injuries and not a lot of sleep. I think the movement from the Seamoth and the warmth probably lulled her to sleep."

"Are you gonna stay with her again?" Chase asked.

"That would probably be a good idea. She might get more rest with you there since you mentioned it's odd she hasn't had a nightmare yet. She probably feels safer with you." I mentioned.

He looked down at her adjusting his other arm to help hold her up.

"Yeah, you guys are probably right about that."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you when she wakes up." Chase smiled.

"Shut up." He chuckled in response.

"As enjoyable as it is to poke fun, I do think you being there when she wakes up has probably helped her with her anxiety." Chase mentioned, checking her temperature.

"I hope so." He mumbled.

"You should take her to bed now, she should lie down." I said," Actually, do you want me to fabricate a bed? We have the blueprints now, everyone is gonna be making them tonight."

"That would be great, thanks."

"Happy to help."

Walking into they're room Seán points to the center of the room, mentioning she likes to look out through the windows from that spot. I start making the bed while he unconsciously rocks her back and forth, Chase standing at they're side quietly asking about how she's been. Thankfully beds don't take long to fabricate and soon enough it's ready.

He carefully climbs into the bed, slightly pulling back the pre-applied blanket to lay her down beside him. As soon as he pulls the blanket over her she nuzzles herself closer to him and it's disgustingly adorable.

"I'd say get a room, but we're in it." I joke.

"Haha very funny, now get out." He jokes back.

"Try not to get to loud and crazy, I do live right up the ladder." Chase teases.

"Well now we're gonna be loud on purpose."

Sharing a quiet laugh Chase and I go back out from the room, wishing them a goodnight. Chase opens his door and looks inside before going to bed as I head over to mine and Amy's room. Everyone seems to have gone to rest for the night.

Walking into our room I see Amy leaning against the window we put in, calmly watching the ocean in her regular shirt. I smile and walk over to her, gently wrapping my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. She leaned her head on mine sighing happily. God, I am so lucky. She turns and gives me a small kiss before we get into the bed she's already set up by the wall.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" She asks.

"Honestly, I do. I know the PDA we found was really unnerving and kind of sketchy.. but I believe what it says. You know my gut feelings are usually right, and my gut is telling me we'll be okay."

"That's good," she turns to me," I've been worried about my family, and our friends still back home. I've never been so happy to know I'm being recorded for people to see, knowing everyone we love at least knows we're alive."

"I've been thinking about that a lot too. Our friends and families are good strong willed people, so I'm sure they've got everything under control."

Once we're settled in I hold her close and rub her back. She smiles at me and leans her forehead on mine.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

**~N/N's POV~**

I wake with a jolt, covering my mouth to try and muffle the slight scream coming out. I can still feel the pain and see the blood.. so much blood. I keep trying to back away from it but something hard is in the way, I feel someone grab my shoulders and I frantically look up to see blue eyes shining back at me.

"N/N breathe, it's alright. We're back in the base see? We even have beds now. You're alright, everything's okay now. Keep breathing, it was just a nightmare."

That wasn't a nightmare. Not like my other night terrors, this felt completely different. It wasn't just a dream this time.

"Focus on me, N/N. Breathe."

I nod keeping my eyes locked with his, breathing with him. After a minute or two my mind clears and my lungs open back up. I slouch back on the bed frame, even more exhausted than before when Seán carefully pulls me into a hug.

"You scared me.."

"I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have those dreams.."

"It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm just glad you're alright."

"When did we get back?"

"About an hour and a half ago. I didn't wanna wake you up so I carried you in from the top, Mark helped me out."

"You didn't have to do that."

"And yet I did." He smiled, pulling back from the hug.

"Thanks."

He gave me two silly thumbs up before scooting over for me to lay back down. I turned to face him not realizing how close he was to me, our noses brushed making mine itch. I started rubbing my nose and he giggled at me, apparently I look silly when scratching my nose.

"Goodnight Seán."

"Goodnight N/N."

I scoot a little closer to him when closing my eyes and he wraps his arm around me. Resting his chin above my head he starts drifting off to sleep. Hoping I don't have that horrible vision again, I close my eyes and focus on his arms around me. Maybe I'll be able to get some more sleep.


	17. A New Revalation

**Author's Note: I've added a VERY sci-fi aspect into this chapter that I've been trying to set up since I started. I know a lot of people really don't like those kinds of things because they tend to think of them as cliché and OP but I just really love writing this kind of thing. Sorry if it's not your thing, kind of scared people are gonna hate it. :/**

**Felix's POV**

I woke up to the sound of Marzia getting sick in the bathroom, thankfully I know it's just morning sickness and not anything worse. I wish she didn't have to deal with it, but hopefully it'll pass in the next few minutes. I also hear what sounds like laughter from down stairs. I get up and switch out my regular clothes for my suit before going to check on Marzia.

*knock, knock*

"You alright in there? Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay!" She shouts back," I'm almost done, it's finally passing."

"Okay, I'll go get you some water."

"Thank you."

Heading down the ladder I come into some weird looking fuckery. N/N has Seán slung over her shoulder somehow skipping around Chase. Chase is running around on his knees asking for his breakfast back, and Seán is just laughing hysterically while everything is happening. Obviously I have to get in on this.

After tucking a water bottle in my bag, I run up and lift both N/N and Seán off the floor knowing they're both relatively light people.

"I AM THE BREAKFAST MASTER, ONLY I MAY CHOOSE WHO DOES OR DOES NOT GET BREAKFASTS!"

"Please Sir, May I have a potato breakfast?" Chase asks trying not to die laughing.

"Why of coarse little boy!! Here you go!"

I manage to wiggle N/N out from under Seán on my shoulder and put her directly into Chase's lap, she's now dying of laughter.

"Are you sure this is a potato?"

"BITCH!! I am QUEEN potato!" She shouts.

"Oh okay! Thank you Sir!" He picks her up and noms the side of her face.

She's now laughing so hard she's squeaking, Seán is still laughing like a hyena, and Chase is half curled around N/N just trying to breathe.

I put Seán down while everyone's laughter finally starts dying down and he plops down on the floor next to Chase and N/N.

"How did you guys even GET to this point?"

"We all woke up about the same time and Chase was talking about how he missed other foods like potatoes." N/N giggled, wiping away a few tears.

"And then she goes and pushes Seán in front of me and says 'OH BUT THERES A PERFECTLY GOOD POTATO RIGHT HERE!' So I started chasing him and calling him the perfect breakfast!" Chase shouts restarting his laughter.

"Yeah and then N/N picked me up and started telling Chase not to play with his food, so he got on his knees and started acting like a hungry kid." Seán finishes.

"Well damn, guys that was like, the best adventure since we've gotten here!" I exaggerate.

"Haha, yeah TOTALLY!" N/N sarcastically remarks.

"Alright, I gotta bring Marzia her water, be back soon."

"Later Mr.Dad person." Chase jokes as I climb the ladder.

When I get back into our room I see Marzia pulling her suit on for the day. I walk up to her handing her the water bottle, and gently kiss her forehead. She smiles at me thankfully before drinking the water I brought.

"What's going on down stairs? It sounds like a party."

"Seán, N/N, and Chase were just being nerds. That's all."

"Oh, haha how cute! I'm glad the three of them are such good friends."

"Yeah, they seem to be getting along really well."

"Good."

She hugs me close, resting her head on my shoulder. I gently rub her back as we relax in each other's embrace for a few moments before I take care of my morning routine and she goes down to see everyone.

Once I finally get down to the first floor I see Beth and Sam chasing Tessa shouting about tickles, Amy and Mark trying to dance with their legs turned opposite ways of each other Mark's facing out and Amy's facing in; and Marzia jumping around and pulling N/N with her while Seán and Chase giggle to themselves.

I love my friends.

Walking up to Chase and Seán they turn to me probably expecting my question.

"So What happened this time? I wasn't even gone that long."

"We kind of.. woke everyone up."  
Chase chuckles," So after telling Beth and Amy about it they decided they wanted to outdo our rediculous ways."

"Hah! That's hilarious."

"Yeah, Mark came up with whatever it is they're doing over there," Seán points to them," and Beth not knowing what to do saw Tessa come out and just started chasing her."

"Sam joined in when he came down without even a question." Chase added.

"This is why I love our friends."

"Same." They jinxed.

"I'm guessing Marzia decided to join in with dancing shenanigans?"

"Yep!" Chase chirped.

We laughed again, looking back to our ridiculous little family. Marzia has stopped pulling N/N around in favor of whispering about something she probably finds exciting or funny. N/N is nodding along clearly unexcited by the topic but happy to listen to a friend. When Beth and Sam finally stop chasing Tessa she makes her way over to us.

Now I don't like to judge people, and I don't like calling people desperate, but something about the _way_ she hangs herself off of Seán feels wrong, and kind of pisses me off. And he so obviously is uncomfortable when she does it, how does she not see that? Not to mention that it probably upsets N/N.. I mean I don't know for sure she's hard as hell to get a read on but come on! Has she even considered her friend's feelings?

"Woah there, you look like you got noddle legs!"

I manage to make it sound like a joke, considering she chuckled, but Chase seems tuned in to how weird this is. Now that I think about it, he's kind of been giving her the side eye for days now. I need to find out what he knows that I don't.

Marzia and N/N come up to us and Seán immediately pulls away from Tessa to greet them with a silly wave of his arms.

"We wanted to finish our girls day since we couldn't yesterday!" Marzia announced.

"Oh cool, I hope you guys have fun." I kissed her cheek.

"I did find that other PDA yesterday.." N/N whispered.

Oh, jeez here we go again.

"I took a glimpse at it when I woke up.. and I don't really wanna be the one to read it this time." She whispered once again.

Wow, she visibly turned pale saying that. What could be in the PDA that freaked her out that much? It took me a second to realize the room had gone quiet when she'd reacted the way she did, it seems like everyone's thinking the same thing.

"It's alright, I'll do it." Seán hugged her lightly.

Everyone sat down around the side of the room we were on and Seán took the PDA from N/N to read.

"Secondary Mission: Humanoid Acceptance.."

The confusion was apparent on everyone's face at the unusual name.

"The reason the initial plan turned into the formation of other planets was the introduction of a young man with a very particular talent. After having show interest in our project when he opened up about his peoples history and talent. How they have spent thousands of years hidden beneath the surface of our society, the wars that have been fought between us and them that our society has had wiped from our minds for their safety."

The utter anxiety and disbelief filling the room is agonizing, poor N/N looks like she might pass out.

"They have been hidden or discriminated against for far too long and thus the secondary objective has formed. They are still people, just like everyone else. Not only will we be revealing to the world the existence of they're people but we will fight tirelessly for the acceptance and equality between Humans and Mutants. They have explained that the first rule of they're society for years has been to keep themselves a secrete and protect us from the rare among them who think lower of us and want to enslave us; it's high time we fight for and with them against this threat.."

No one knows what to say, honestly I don't know that any of us even believe what we're hearing.

"This all makes sense now.."

The room turns our attention to Sam as he looks up to us.

"How else could they possible have been able to create another planet, let alone multiple ones? Without anyone else knowing either!? People of particular talent? Special skills? Everything connects, it all makes sense!"

"You're right.. I can't believe I'm saying this but I think your right." Beth whispers.

"Considering where we are.. does it really make sense to doubt it?" Mark asks seemingly to himself.

"I don't know that I can get myself to believe it without seeing it." Tessa remarks.

"Does it really matter? Yeah this is really fucking weird to come across, but in our situation it doesn't really affect us. We still need to be focused on ya know.. here and now." I say, trying to remain calm and collected.

I can still see N/N shaking beside Seán, she's been the strong one for so long it's strange to see her reacting like this. Though I feel like we owe it to her to let her be freaked out.

"You're right," Marzia squeezes my hand," And Besides! If it is true the person who wrote the PDA is right, they're not different then us. Just more friends to have that can do some really cool things!"

Smiling at my lovely girlfriend I see everyone visibly relax a great deal with her words, especially N/N. Thankfully seeing her calm down so much, helps Seán and Chase calm down even more.

"Are you kidding? It says right there they want to ENSLAVE US!" Tessa yells, scaring N/N once again.

"Hey!"

Everyone jumps at the anger in Amy's voice.

"Since you were obviously not paying attention, it said the MINORITY wanted to and that the majority of them were fighting against them _protecting_ us **constantly**! So unless you'd like to openly admit being a racist piece of garbage you should shut your fucking mouth."

We all know how extremely verbal Amy has always been about bigotry, especially considering the things that happened to a lot of her childhood friends so no one is surprised she spoke up... but holy shit.

Thankfully that shut Tessa up, but poor N/N looks just about on the verge of tears over this whole thing. I wonder if everything is finally starting to catch up to her.

After calming down everyone decided to take a little time to get ready and eat before the girls finish they're bonding time and the rest of us have our time here at home. Poor N/N is the first one to rush out of the room.. I hope she's alright. Fucking Tessa started looking at her with either a glare or suspicion, but either way I'm not happy about it. I'm need to talk to Chase to find out what her fucking deal is.

Tessa starts walking towards N/N's room and Chase thankfully steps in front of her, not taking any of her shit as I go to join him.

"Hey Chase, you worried about N/N?"

Glad he's always been good at reading what I'm trying to get across.

"Yeah, she's a little upset."

"I think the pressure of carrying our group all this time finally came down on her, she deserves a chance to let her feelings out."

"Agreed."

That made her turn back to her own room, thank God. He looks at me and rolls his eyes with utter frustration over that girl.

"We need to talk about Tessa."

He seems kind of tense and nervous, now I really feel like I need to know what's happening.

"We should wait until the girls leave.. There was Uh." He paused for a moment," There was a situation N/N really helped me out of with her. And I think that's what caused everything else. I don't wanna bring it up with the girls yet because I don't wanna stress out Marzia or make Beth angry. It hits to close to my childhood to handle anyone being upset at me over it." He whispered shakily.

"That's fair, we can wait."

"Thanks, man."

"No problem."

**~Seán's POV~**

I'm standing outside of N/N's bathroom listening to her try to get control of her breathing, I asked if I could help but she said that this kind of anxiety she needs to not be touched so I'm trying to leave her be as much as I can.. but damn if it doesn't feel absolutely horrible not being able to do anything to help.

After a few minutes she finally comes back out a lot calmer.

"You alright?" I ask gently touching her arm.

"I'm okay, I'm sorry for that."

"You don't have anything to apologize for.. Besides that was a lot to take in."

She seems really hesitant to talk about it.

"Do you.. believe it?"

"I don't know.. I mean anything is possible. And if it is true having to hide like that for so long... wars.. they're right that they need the chance to live without hiding. Just like everyone else."

"Yeah.. I think so too."

She pulls me into a strong hug before tugging my hand to head out with everyone. Hopefully this time nobody finds another insane PDA that'll freak everyone out. I don't want to be away from her again after what we just went through, but at least she'll be with the girls.

Everyone waves goodbye as they head out to finish whatever they'd been doing yesterday when Felix suddenly turns to Chase.

"They're gone now, so it's time to tell me about what happened with Tessa."

This can't be good.


	18. Problems Uncovered

**Chase's POV**

I sigh heavily as Felix watches me expectantly, I really hope telling them about this doesn't make anything worse.

"So Tessa started excessively flirting with me pretty immediately after getting here.. and it was becoming an issue when trying to accomplish anything. I decided I needed to have a talk with her about it so I knocked on her door the other night and she had me come in to talk."

At this point everyone is quietly listening to my story, very aware of how it could end. It's making me a little nervous.

"Before I could really start talking she started going on and on about feelings and she brought sex into the conversation and I got really uncomfortable really quickly. It was about this time I heard N/N coming over to see what was going on."

I pause to gather my thoughts, I really hope they don't think I'm making any of this up.

"When I told her I wasn't interested she threatened to scream and act like I'd assaulted her. Started talking about having everyone hate me and shun me so I'd be alone out here.. And memories of my mother started overwhelming me. I could barely speak."

Everyone became visibly upset at that statement, Felix physically tensing up. Even Sam seems to be uneasy about it.

"Just before she made the threat N/N came in quietly behind her and heard everything. When I told her no she tried to grab me but N/N announced her presence demanding she stop. She was surprised and about to try and trick her into what she'd planned to tell everyone, but thankfully N/N wasn't having any of it."

I hadn't realized how badly this whole things had really upset me, just talking about it is making my eyes water and my body shake.

"When she asked what we were gonna do N/N said 'Nothing for now' explaining that we need everyone's combine effort to survive right now and that more stress and drama wouldn't help right now. And honestly that would have probably made me nervous she might try again save for the fact that she immediately followed it with.."

I swallow hard remembering the steeled and vicious look on N/N's face when she gave her threat, she might be my friend but she definitely isn't someone to fuck with. For a quiet kind woman, she can be utterly terrifying.

"Followed with what?" Mark asked impatiently.

"She threatened her basically, in all honesty she scared the shit out of me with what she said, and I wasn't even the one being threatened."

Everyone looked at each other confused and surprised, aside from that night with just us three no one had seen her angry or even really annoyed. I'm not shocked at their surprise whatsoever, she's like a completely different person when she's like that.

"What'd she say?" Seán asked.

"She Uh.. she said under normal circumstances she'd be beating her ass to a pulp right then. And then she told her if she ever tries to pull any kind of shit like that again that she.. she knows how to torture someone until they 'beg for the sweet relief of death' and that she'd not give her that relief." I couldn't bring myself to speak above a whisper it was such a harsh memory to bring back.

Seán tugs me into a bear hug in an attempt to calm me down and comfort me, Felix and Mark joining in momentarily before releasing me.

"Remind me to never piss her off." Mark awkwardly joked earning a dry laugh from the group.

"The next day is when she started hanging off of Seán as much as she possibly could. I honestly think she's just trying to spite N/N in any way she can think of."

Now THAT made Seán extremely angry, that's kind of what I expected and I'm glad to see it. What Tessa is doing is ridiculous.

"That explains what her fucking deal is, and why it felt so _off_ that she started hanging around you." Felix commented to Seán.

"Yeah, she's been bothering me a hell of a lot. It was already starting to irritate me but now I'm fuckin' pissed."

His knuckles and jaw clenched so hard both started turning white when I nudged him to relax and breathe.

"I don't understand why N/N hasn't been trying to get in the way of Tessa's efforts though?" Sam wondered.

"I can't say for sure, but she probably doesn't feel like she has the right to. I mean, so far she's only really been annoyingly flirty and I doubt she feels like anyone can rightfully be angry at that. She seems to have pretty strong feelings about freedom of speech and action, not taking control of other people unless there's no other option. And on top of that she doesn't exactly think of herself as.. worth much. I really wish there were a better way to phrase that.." I answered.

"Well the problem is mine to deal with anyways, it wouldn't be her place to act on it just like it's not mine to act on a problem she has without being asked." He paused," Believe me, I am **more** than happy to deal with this problem. I'm not gonna let her pull this stupid shit anymore, especially if it's gonna hurt N/N." Seán practically growled.

"Calm down, buddy." Mark nudged him once more.

"Sorry." He breathed out.

"It's alright, if someone tried to do that to Marzia I'd be just as angry." Felix mentioned.

"What do you think Sam?" I asked cautiously.

"I've known Tessa for years.. and as horrible as this situation is I'm not even really that surprised. She's always seemed pretty manipulative to me, I never did trust her like Beth does. I can promise you guys that when we bring this up with the girls I'll be there to keep Beth from acting out just because she doesn't want it to be true." He answered.

"When do we tell them though?" Mark asked.

"That's a good question. And what do we even do about it? Is everyone knowing and being alert of it enough or do we need to act?" Felix questioned back.

"I think the awareness should be enough for now. If she does anything else we can worry about acting then. We might wanna wait until tomorrow though, everyone's had enough of a hard day these past two days. We don't wanna ruin their day out again." I offered.

"That sounds like the best course of action. Who's in for Chase's plan?" Seán asked, raising his hand.

Not even a moment later everyone had a hand in the air decidedly ending the issue.

"Well! Now that that's dealt with, let's try to get some chill time while we can." Felix pipped up.

"Hah, yeah I'm all in for that." I smiled.

Time to let ourselves relax for a while.

**~Marzia's POV~**

After all the unusual news it feels nice to just be normal for a while. It didn't take long to get back to our little relaxing spot and restart our little projects.

Everyone's little jewelry pieces are coming along nicely. The small talk and scattered moments of laughter are happy moments I can hold with me while we're stuck here.

"Hey Tessa, why did you pick up only green stuff? I thought your favorite color was orange." Beth questioned.

"I wanted to do something with Seán's favorite color! I kind of hope it'll make him notice me a bit more."

Oh jeez, I always feel awkward for N/N when Tessa brings that up.

"His favorite color is red." N/N quietly responded, still very focused on her head piece.

"I'm sorry?" Tessa raised her eyebrow.

"His favorite color isn't green, it's red. He mostly uses green because it goes with the whole 'septic eye' thing, but red is what tends to catch his eye." She responded nonchalantly.

"Is that why you picked all green and red pieces?" Tessa responded, with a slight undertone if venom in her voice.

N/N's hands stopped wrapping the wire lining from the spare suit and looked up to Tessa, immediately making direct eye contact. Her face is unreadable once again.

"Is there a reason you assume every little thing I do is about him? I'm not an obsessive little girl who only knows how to latch onto people like a leech."

Oh.

 _Oh_.

Holy shit, did she just say that?

"Excuse me?!" Tessa raised her voice, visibly flustered.

"Did I stutter?" She asked," And why are you acting offended? I stated a fact; I am my own person who does things apart from the person I'm closest to. It has nothing to do with you, unless of coarse you somehow equate that kind of behavior to yourself."

"Are you insinuating I'm a leech!?"

"No, but apparently you are."

With an obviously offended scoff Tessa stands up on the rocks and steps over to stand above N/N. She does nothing but watch Tessa's eyes in response. The rest of us are at a loss for words, I mean I figured they might have an issue at some point, but not this soon. And not like this!

"At least I don't come across as an emotionless shell of a person! The only things you ever seem to feel are nothing and panic; how pathetic is that!?"

"Tessa, calm down!" Beth begs, grabbing her arm.

"No!" She tugs her arm away," She does nothing but monopolize Seán's time **knowing** how I feel about him! She's always acting like she's 'so mature' as if she's somehow above us!"

"That's enough Tessa!" Amy raises her voice.

N/N quietly raised her hand, asking us to be silent as Tessa continues. Why is she just sitting there and letting her say these things? There has to be a reason.

"First you boss everyone around just to feel superior, then you get yourself hurt and try to get everyone's attention and sympathy, then you try to show off with your little check up bullshit!! Not to mention you getting in the way of my friendships with Chase and Seán! Now you add insult to injury!? What the fuck is wrong with you!? How dare you call me a leech!! If anyone here is any kind of parasite it's you!"

She stomps her foot in finality, accidentally breaking N/N's head piece in half. Or at least I hope it's an accident, why did she have to do this now? We were finally getting along and relaxing. And what's all this about Chase?

"Are you done?" N/N asks calmly.

"Excuse me?" Tessa heaves, still obviously fuming.

"I said, are you done?" N/N stands up in front of Tessa, who visibly shrinks.

Trying to stand taller once again, Tessa glares daggers at N/N.

"If you're asking if I'm done making a point, then yes."

"Good, now that you're done throwing a fit maybe we can act like adults." Tessa's expression darkened as N/N continued," To answer your initial question, I chose red and green because they happen to be _my_ favorite colors. Are you satisfied now?"

With another angry scoff Tessa sits back down and goes back to twirling her sea kelp around her necklace. Seemingly satisfied with the situation N/N also takes her seat and begins pulling the pieces of her broken head piece together with new wire bits. Amy looks like she's trying not to smile, and honestly I'm feeling a little proud of N/N too. The awkwardness hangs In the air regardless, though. I didn't expect for her to defend herself like that, but I'm happy she did.

Everyone is quiet for a long time after that, but thankfully Amy and I manage to bring the calm atmosphere back with another small conversation after a time.

N/N suddenly shoots to her feet, looking intently towards the floating islands highly alert. I look to Amy who was also startled by the sudden movement, unsure of what to do.

"Get in the water. Now." N/N whispers.

Without any hesitation we all quietly slip into the water behind the rocks, N/N sliding in last. Suddenly a group of 5 men surface from the water just beside where we'd been sitting, N/N motions for us to remain quiet.

"I can't believe your dad put all this crazy shit together." The curly haired man said.

"I know right? I wonder where the ladies we saw went." The tallest man replied.

"I wonder why they're away from the other people on this planet." The man with an odd accent mentioned.

"Who cares? Not like it matters." The shortest of the group scoffed.

"Let's get back to the ship, we can look around more after I get some food. Man I'm still upset that reefback got away, it looked tasty!" The final man with the gauges complained.

"Sounds good to me." The tallest replied.

Thankfully they left just after they're conversation. Something about those men is terrifying. Not just that they're even here, by something about the feel of them scares me.

Looking over to N/N she's still intently listening and watching the direction the men left in, breathing shallow in order to better hear. It isn't until another couple of minutes pass that she tells us we're safe to come back out. She gets up onto the rocks first just to be sure we'd all be safe, and thankfully there was no sign of the men. Maybe coming out here like this isn't the best idea..

"How did you know they were there?" Tessa asked suspiciously.

"I heard them."

"How exactly? None of us heard anything."

"Back home I had to be hyper vigilant at all times, didn't have a choice. Habits like that don't just go away with new surroundings."

"Uhuh.." She trailed off still giving the side eye.

This isn't the time to be acting like a child.

"Should we head back?" Beth asked nervously.

"Well, the sun is about to start setting and we've all pretty much finished our stuff so we don't really have a need to stay. So I'd say that's a good idea." N/N responds.

"There she goes again, bossing us all around.." Tessa mumbles.

I swear if she doesn't quit it I'm gonna slap her. N/N just ignores her, getting back into the water. I'm glad to be headed back to the base, it was a fun day until the end and I'm pretty tired.

Hopefully the guys had a good day.

**~Tessa's POV~**

When we finally reach base I gently touch N/N's arm to keep her back a little ways as the others go to head inside, I'm not gonna deal with this bitch getting in my way anymore.

"I don't know who you think you are, but constantly trying to cause issues is only going to make everyone hate you more than they already do."

I noticed her get very tense at the last part of what I said, jackpot. So she's that type huh?

"Everyone here just pities you because you're the outcast, the one who's a nobody. We only keep you around because we need a doctor until Seán knows what he's doing. You're a worthless pieces of shit so don't fucking forget it... and stop trying to take away my shot at happiness."

I see her stay behind as I move forward, Good. That last little lie finally pushed her over her limit. Now she won't be getting in my way anymore.

I manage to rush inside fast enough so the others don't notice I was lagging behind, I doubt anyone will care enough to notice she's gone.


	19. The Enemy Within

**Marzia's POV**

Amy and Beth didn't seem to notice Tessa keeping N/N back from coming inside with us, and I don't have a good feeling about it. I keep my headset on for an extra moment and just as I'm walking through to the main room I hear it.. oh my God, what in the hell is wrong with Tessa?

Still standing with one foot inside the main room Tessa suddenly walks past me to join the group, the guys just having come down to meet us. Why isn't N/N inside yet? Before I could turn to go look for her I see Seán's expression turn from confused to anxious.

"Where is N/N?" He asked.

"I thought she was right behind us." Amy remarks looking around the room as Beth starts to speak.

"Yeah, she was just be-

"How could you say those things to her?" I startle even myself with the pitch of my voice.

"What are you talking about?" Tessa pretended.

"I kept my head set on when we walked in, I heard what you said to her. What is wrong with you? And where is she?" I can feel anger and fear building up in my chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about, okay? We stayed behind a second so we weren't squished when we came in, I don't know why she didn't come with me! Maybe she wanted to swim alone."

"Bullshit! We both know she'd not risk staying out there alone after we saw those men, so stop lying to me!"

"Well maybe she wasn't thinking, did you think of that?"

"Stop trying to cover up the fact that you told her we don't care about her! I heard you saying we only pity her because she was the odd one out and that she'd be disposable after she taught Seán medicine!"

Before she could respond Seán storms up to her, now looming threateningly over her. With barely any restraint he growled his words in her face.

"Where. Is. N/N."

A tiny shrug was all she could manage to answer further pissing everyone off. Seán abruptly pushed past her and out of the base to find N/N, Chase following quickly behind.

"Maybe you misheard her Marzia, I really don't think..

"Beth, stop." Sam firmly commanded," There's no defending her here. This isn't the first horrible thing she's done since we've gotten here and if we ignore it again things will only get worse."

"But what if-

"Beth!" She silenced herself," I know you want to protect your friends and think the best of them, but trying to do that now is only going to make the rest of us suffer. Do you really want that? To put Tessa before everyone else?"

Beth sadly shook her head in defeat as Tessa remained somewhat frozen in the corner. I can feel tears start running down my face as my mind starts to race through all of the things that could happen to her while she's out there alone. Amy comes to comfort me as Mark, Felix and Sam escort Tessa to her room and lock her inside. It was immediately decided that everyone would come together for what to do once N/N was found.

"What were you talking about, when you mentioned men?" Mark asked nervously.

"Once we were about ready to leave N/N bolted up apparently having heard something," Amy explained, still hugging me," She had us hide quickly when out of nowhere a group of about 5 men came up from the water. Apparently one of them was the son of the man who built this place. We hid until they were long gone, before heading home. I have a very strong feeling they're not supposed to be here, and I don't wanna know why they are."

"She's right," I managed," There was something about those men that was terrifying. Not just them being here but the men themselves.. Oh God What if they find N/N before Seán and Chase do?"

Amy hugs me tighter as I try to take control of my breathing, Felix coming up to help calm me down.

"That's not gonna happen, those two are gonna do everything they can to find her. I'm sure she's going to be fine." Amy whispered to me.

"I'll warn the guys about those men." Sam said picking up his head cover.

"Good idea." Mark noted.

I just hope she's okay.

**~Sean's POV~**

Chase and I have started searching as fast as we can after the news about those strange men came up. We look around the safe zone as much as we can but she's not here. We agree to split up, Chase going to look around closer to the Aurora while I go into the Creepvine forest.

"Seán."

I turn to face him before heading off, he looks just as distraught as I feel.

"Be careful, I don't want to lose either of you."

"We won't, you be careful too."

"I will. If either of us finds her we're gonna radio to each other right?"

"Right."

With a decisive nod he heads off towards the Aurora. I turn and start my journey to the forest, I see resources on my way but I don't want to stop for anything. What if that moment changes weather or not I find her? I'm not risking that.

Finally reaching the Creepvine area I carefully skirt around the edge of the barrier to see if I can spot her before swimming head first into danger. My eyes are caught by a group of a dozen Stalker Fish circling around something. Carefully I swim closer, trying to get a glimpse of what's going on. Once I'm only a few feet away I see her! What the hell?

She's just calmly sitting in the middle of the predators circling her constantly. How is she doing that? They're not even trying to attack her they're just there. As I watch them I notice every once in a while one of them will dip down and brush against her lap, as she gently drags her hand over It's back. She's petting them?

"It's alright Seán, you can come over here. They won't bite you."

I jump at suddenly hearing her voice, I hadn't realized she'd noticed me. I try not to think about the undertone of sadness in her voice as I approach her. Once I'm close enough the predators start swimming in a wider pattern so I can reach her, without any hesitation I pull her into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing out here? You scared the daylights outta me. Not to mention Chase and everyone else."

"I'm sorry, I just needed to clear my head. I was reminded of some old issues when Tessa was talking to me and didn't want to let them get the better of me, so I needed to be alone for a bit. I should have thought better of it I know, I wasn't thinking very clearly."

"No you weren't, especially with those men out here.." I pull away to look at her," I'm just glad you're alive."

She gives me a weak smile and I hug her again. I realize Chase should hear us but notice my radio setting is on 3 instead of 2, when did that happen?

"I should tell Chase I found you, he's out looking too."

"Alright."

Switching my frequency back to 2 I try to reach Chase.

"Are you there?"

"I'm here, nothing yet."

"I found her, she was in the Creepvine forest."

"You found her!? Is she alright? Did she get hurt?"

"She's fine thankfully, you should head back to base and we'll catch up."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come to you guys?"

"I'm sure, it's better you be out alone as little as possible."

"I guess you're right, come back soon okay?"

"Well be heading out in a minute, no worries."

With that I switch back to 3 and turn my attention over to N/N.

"How did you know I was there?"

"I heard you, You aren't exactly the quietest person." She chuckled.

That's.. odd.

"So are these guys more tame than we thought?" I Point to the surrounding predators.

"No, they're definitely not. But when you feed one of them they act as a pack, they all trust you if one of them does. I fed a small one a few peepers when it looked like it was having a hard time."

"I swear it's like you can talk to animals sometimes." I joke.

That gets a more genuine smile out of her and I am more than happy to see it. Pushing back a short distance I offer her my hand.

"We should go home, it's getting dark."

She hesitates a moment, but grabs my hand anyways allowing me to pull her forward.

"Alright."

When we get back to the base I notice she doesn't have any issues with the change in pressure going inside anymore, it's good to see something is going well. Walking into the main area Chase instantly runs up and hugs N/N while Amy and Marzia begin asking if she's alright.

While she explains to everyone where she went and why I look around the room to see Tessa isn't here, did they kick her out? And if not, where is she and what are we doing about her?

N/N gently touches my hand, bringing me out of my thoughts and towards our friends standing around the ladder.

"Where is **she**?" I ask.

"We've kept her locked in her room. What should we do about this?" Mark asked.

"I'm sorry, what am I missing here?" N/N asked.

"I told them what she tried to do to me," Chase piped up," And Marzia heard what she said to you. At this point we have to do something about it or she'll not stop."

"What _can_ we do?" N/N asked.

"We can keep her under watch by at least 2 people at all times. Not let her lead anything. Keep her in her room for the most part." Felix suggested.

"That sounds like a decent idea." Amy chipped in.

"As long as she stays away from us,"I motion to N/N and I," Then I don't care how we deal with it."

"That's fair." Sam commented," I'll help watch her for the first period of time we let her out of her room."

"I'll join you, since I need to stay here most of the time anyways." Marzia said.

Everyone agreed on an order of watch for any day we let her do anything, and have decided on at least a month of time before she can be trusted alone.

"We should go explore the Aurora soon, see if there's anything we could use from there." Mark mentioned.

"Huh.."

"What is it, N/N?" Amy asked.

"There's no radiation."

"Oh... I hadn't even realized we never got that warning." Felix noted.

"I guess they were at least a little honest about not really wanting to kill us." Beth mumbled.

"Maybe we could explore some areas around it too, we do have the blueprints for the Cyclops. It's a lot of resources but it would make it easier to travel together and be safe doing so." Mark suggested.

"I think that's a smart idea." N/N replied.

After having decided what we need to accomplish tomorrow everyone makes their way to their rooms for the night. I take N/N's hand and walk us back to our room, I can see her face heat up just as mine does.

"Should I check your scarring?"

"No, all the major points are mostly healed. It's just simple cleaning that anyone can do themselves now."

"Wait... really? It hasn't even been a week."

"Heh, feels like it has.. I do heal abnormally fast though, it's a genetics thing."

"Oh... okay."

After shutting off the lights I turn to look at N/N sitting on the side of the bed. I watch her as she looks out into the ocean, she's very calm and quiet. I wonder what she's thinking about.

She turns her head to look at me and the rising moonlight shines in her eyes, forming a slight halo around her small frame. She gives me that special little smile for the first time a while and my heart jumps up to my throat, sometimes I find it hard not to stop and stare.

Smiling back, I go to sit beside her and enjoy the silence. I always feel most at peace when it's just us together among the silence, it takes me by surprise when she rests her head against my shoulder but I'm not one to complain. I wrap my arm around her, gently kissing her head before looking back out to the waters. I wish it could always be like this, not having to deal with the dramas and fears all the time. Just a calm and quiet happiness.

**~N/N's POV~**

I woke up fairly early as the rising light landed over my eyes, the morning is beautiful but the light in my eyes is just irritating. Having fallen asleep sitting up my back really needed to pop but I need to pee first.

Gently moving Seán's head from my shoulder I head to the restroom to prepare for the day. After changing out my pad and popping the entirety of my spine, I quickly finish my routine and head back into the room.

I can hear everyone else quietly chit chatting and eating as they come together for the day just beyond the door. Seán is still in a dead sleep and I don't really want to wake him up, especially since it's not very easy to get good rest here.

Quietly leaving the room I'm greeted by quiet hellos and small half asleep smiles from the people I've come to enjoy seeing every morning. Quickly popping outside I grab a Gary fish as it swims by for breakfast before heading back in with my friends.

Sitting down beside Chase he smiles a hello at me with a mouth full of peeper looking rather hilarious and kind of adorable. I smile back as I start on my own breakfast.

Once everyone had finished eating, the group decided to put our resources together to fabricate the Cyclops while I sat down with Marzia to do another check up. With all of the stress she's experiencing it's better to keep a tight check up schedule for her little ones. Thankfully both the check up and the fabrication take a very short while to complete, just as I finish looking her over we hear the enormous splash of the Cyclops landing in the water.

Everyone is pretty quiet today, i don't think it's from feeling upset so much as it was somewhat hard to sleep knowing there are strange men about that could be a potential threat. Everyone does seem in fairly good spirits though, and it's always good to see everyone happy.

"We should take everyone with us today, I don't feel comfortable leaving anyone behind with those strangers lurking around." Felix mentioned.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. We should head out pretty soon too, so we don't have to worry so much about nightfall while we're exploring possible Reaper territory." Beth responded.

After sharing my agreement I went back into our room and kneeled down beside an adorable sleeping Seán. Gently squeezing his shoulder and giving a light nudge I woke him up from his deep sleep. Momentarily staring at me with his hilarious little sleepy face he smiles wide wishing me a good morning.

Standing up straight I explain what everyone is doing and that we're about to leave for the day, he flops over to his back before getting up and making his way to the restroom.

"I'll be out in the main room with everyone else when you're done."

"Gotcha!"

Coming back to the group I see they've brought Tessa out from her room, Sam and Marzia standing closely beside her. I actively try not to sneer when I see her face, I've never been one to hate people but I can't stand anyone who constantly tries to do the shit she's been doing. She's lucky she pulled most of it on me and not one of the others or I'd have decked her by now. Her glaring at me definitely isn't helping everyone else's glare towards her. Seán heads out of our room and immediately glares daggers at Tessa, surprising me by placing his arm around my waist. I'm pretty sure only Tessa noticed it aside from me, she sneered at us as I tried to calm my heart rate feeling the blood running through my face.

"Have fun with the monster.." Tessa mumbled, that was a mistake.

"Shut your fucking mouth." Seán snapped, letting go of me.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize calling someone what they are was offensive."

I had to hold him back from her, after momentarily making eye contact he calmed down. We both happen to believe it's only our place to deal with our own problems unless asking for help, and he knows I can handle myself.

"Your opinion of me is inconsequential, it's time to head out."

"At least if I had the capability to help the group I would, unlike you."

"Excuse you!?" Marzia shouted.

"Calm down, Marzia it's okay." I assure her.

"Oh come on! Have _none_ of you figured it out yet!?"

I feel by blood run cold, goosebumps running up my spine. Did she really figure it out already?

"She's always really aware of what everyone is thinking, she hears stuff that no one else does, she always knows what's going on around us, she didn't die after being bitten by a Leviathan!! Even now, she's healing faster than any human ever could!"

"Not everything I do is some kind of mystery Tessa."

"Then how do you explain that you're _sooo_ perfect at medicine and being a _leader_? You can't can you, **Mutant**?"

"Everything I know how to do, I worked my ass off to be able to do right! Don't you dare undermine my hard work and years of effort by implying it could only be true of a Mutant."

"Or maybe you're just trying to lie to everyone to cover up the monster that you really are!"

"Mutants are not monsters, they're just people."

"Hah! You think anyone who can create a planet isn't a monster? Every Mutant is just another freak and a threat to everyone else!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"N/N calm down." Chase whimpered, clearly afraid.

"Oh, and I suppose you do? Oh right, you are one! You're a freak of nature just like the rest of them. Pretending to be amazing because everything comes as easy as play to you guys!"

"That's not the same thing!"

Chase, and everyone else shrinks back at my reaction.

"Someone should just nuke them all. Killing all the monsters together." Tessa hissed, that's the final fucking straw.

I storm towards her screaming, accidentally increasing the gravity by a notch.

"Call my People monsters one more fucking time!!!"

The rooms falls silent as my gravity circle fades off. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, I didn't want this. Now everyone will... stop. Stop it, thinking like that isn't going to help anyone. I can feel my mask of nothingness fall over my face as I pick Tessa up from the floor by her collar. I pull her up to my face and spit venom with my words.

"I don't give a **shit** what you think of me, but if you don't stop slandering my people, speaking as a _terrorist_ would, I will not hesitate to break every single one of your limbs. **Do I make myself clear?** "

No answer. Trying with everything I have to ignore the burning of everyone's eyes staring at me, I speak calmly.

"Answer me."

"Y-yes ma'am.." she whispered.

"Good." I drop her back to the floor," And Besides, being a Mutant doesn't mean I can do literally anything. Every Mutant has limits. Every Mutant has very specific capabilities. If I could have done anything to get us home, I would have."

I reluctantly look back to everyone else, seeing them all speechless is difficult. Everyone is thinking 1000 miles an hour and it's hard to know how anyone's really feeling about all of this.

"If you guys don't feel safe around me anymore," I take a deep breath," If you don't want me here anymore.. I understand."

I can feel tears burning behind my eyes but I refuse to let them slip through. I see everyone shoot to their feet in almost a synchronized movement.

"Are you kidding!? How could we ever want you to leave?" Amy asked.

What?

"You're our friend." Marzia said.  
"You're one of us." Felix matches his girlfriend.

Are they serious?

"Yeah, we need you to stick with us." Mark added.  
"No kidding, and we still haven't gotten to know you the way we all want to." Beth hurriedly added in.

Is this really happening? They really want me to stay? They don't hate me?

"You're an amazing member of the team, but that's hardly all you are to us." Sam shared.

I don't... how do I respond to this? It's been so long since anyone's wanted me to stay.

"You've become one of my best friends, I don't wanna lose you." Chase announced, voice stronger than before.  
"I can barely handle not seeing you for a day and you think I could ever want you to leave? No, never. I care about you too much." Seán added, voice slightly wavering.

I can feel the tears I was holding back fall down my checks as everyone comes to comfort me. With shared hugs and words of acceptance I can hardly believe I'm not asleep, this is real. This is happening. They don't care that I'm not like them.. they don't care that I'm a Mutant. I could never have asked for more amazing people to come into my life. With as much trouble has come from the people who took us here, I could never thank them enough for bringing these amazing people into my life.

After calming down and separating slightly I watch Beth angrily walk over to Tessa, what's she doing?

Suddenly an extremely loud slap rings through the hair as Tessa falls back against the wall, a shocked and hurt look on her face.

"Consider any friendship we ever had over. I refuse to be friends with someone who thinks of anyone different as a monster that needs to die. Fuck you, for everything you said and everything you've done since we've gotten here."

Beth turns and walks back stopping just in front of me.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't see past our old friendship to what she was doing to you guys."

"It's not your fault." I quietly respond.

She hugs me tight before heading to the door, after a quick look around everyone pseudo-shrugs and starts towards the door. Sam is dragging Tessa along behind everyone else, I guess we all feel like doing nothing and staying in base won't do us any good.

Everyone enters the Cyclops, Felix actively taking the controls as everyone settles in. Still in shock over what happened I look to Seán standing beside me. I never thought it would be this difficult to look him in the eyes. Having noticed my hesitation he tilts my head up to meet my gaze and smiles sweetly at me. Feeling my ears burn I smile back with all of the joy and compassion I feel when I see him. I don't even care that the others might see it, it's a smile for him alone. Seeing the way his eyes light up when I show it to him makes my heart swell.

I chuckle to myself as I look back to the front window, barely even sun up and the day has already been a wild ride.


	20. Fear & Loss

**Author's Note: Kate_Loves_Life from Wattpad was the person who suggested I add the Dead Zone into the story! ^.^**

**N/N's POV**

After a short while we arrive at the broken base of the Aurora, thankfully the fire has been out for a few days so we don't need to worry about extinguishing much. After Felix carefully slides the Cyclops in between the openings of the Aurora we board the broken down ship.

"So at the risk of sounding like an asshole.." I turn my attention to Felix," What kind of things can you do? What are your Mutant thingies?"

"There's nothing wrong with asking that," I chuckle," It's a natural question."

"So can you like... FLY?" He asked energetically.

"Oh! Oh! Or like, turn into other animals?" Mark shouted.

"Dude, that would be awesome." Amy laughed.

Everyone is asking questions and smiling, they're happy. It's been so long since a non-Mutant has found out and not hated me, followed by their memory wipe. They're actually excited and happy about learning who I am and finding out new things about me. They don't give a shit that I'm not like them.. they just like me.

"Mutants actually rank between 1 and 5 depending on what they can do, the variety of skills they have, and how much power and control they maintain over them. I can communicate with any semi-sentient thing, create forcefields and gravity circles, have a decent telekinesis capability, and hear thoughts! Because of the variety and decent control I'm a higher ranking Mutant, then of course there is always the possibility of reaching 'Scaoileadh Anam'. I promise though, I generally try really hard not to hear people's thoughts if I don't have a need to, I don't like the idea of invading that kind of privacy without good reason."

"What is 'Scaoileadh Anam'?" Marzia asked.

"It means Soul Release." Seán answered.

Everyone turned they're attention and a hint of suspicion towards Seán.

"How did you know that?" Sam asked.

"Relax guys," I interrupted," The term originated in Ireland. It's Gaelic."

"Oooooh!" Beth laughed in understanding,"That makes sense."

As we approached the broken down door we continued to talk.

"So what is Soul Release?" Chase asked.

"It's something every Mutant has the potential of doing. If someone we love completely is in life threatening danger, that person often being ourselves or significant others, our souls will release the bonds that keep our skills within a reasonable and maintainable level. It's also been known to work if the world or mankind itself is in danger. It manifests differently for each individual but it has the same purpose. With the natural binds that keep our souls from over exerting themselves gone, we can tap into the power and energy of literally every atom near by to defend what needs to be protected. Once it's done the first time it can be used by that person for the rest of they're life but it puts an enormous strain on our bodies and souls. And while a soul can't be broken, it can be drained or manipulated."

Walking inside of the Aurora and examining near by rooms everyone was more focused on what they were learning rather than the mostly useless items sitting around.

"The most famous case ever documented happens 3972 years ago with the first ever rank 5 Mutant. The Mutants and humans were in our second war against each other, and he knew if it wasn't stopped no one would make it out alive. He rose himself over the safest spot of the equator and released all of the energy he had not only to fix the damage done to the planet, but also to wipe clean the memories of Mutant existence from all remaining humans on Earth. He replaced they're loved ones real deaths with natural disasters and other believable situations. He used up so much power and energy all at once that it cost him his life. He said until the world was truly ready to fight for peace we would remain a hidden people... I guess the time has finally come."

"Oh my God.." Chase whispered.

"I wonder if that's what's going on back home right now." Seán mentioned.

"In all likelihood, yeah." Mark mused.

"I'm worried about our families.." Beth mumbled.

"Don't worry,"I gently touched her shoulder," the people who put us here are smart enough to know they'd need protecting right now. I'm positive that there's nothing to worry about."

"I hope so,"Chase turned his eyes to mine,"I honestly don't know what I'd do if something happened to my kids."

I gently squeezed his hand in reassurance and he smiled a thanks back to me. Everyone continued on, holding normal conversation and occasionally asking me about being a mutant and what it feels like to use my skills. We spent most of the day looking through this ship but only got a few useful things here and there. The PRAWN suit and its attachments were actually all together, thankfully. Some suit upgrades for heat resistance and re-claiming water.

"Oh my God guys I found the vending machine!!" Chase shouted.

Everyone climbed down into a somewhat known area to find a fully stocked snack machine.

"Maybe we can open what's inside and scan them to see if we can create similar-ish food. I'm kind of exhausted of fish all the time." Marzia sang.

"That sounds like a good idea!" Beth responded.

Felix cracked open the machine and everyone put a few handfuls of snacks into their bags. Thankfully, even if we can't scan them we'll have stuff to eat aside from fish for a bit.

"Fucking shit," I face palmed," I can't believe we forgot!!"

"What?" Mark asked.

"We have the blueprints for an indoor grow bed and we never made one!! We could have been eating fruit!" I groaned.

Everyone groans and laughed at the ridiculous oversight together, as we started to make our way out of the sunken down room. The ship suddenly rumbled with a violent shake collapsing huge pieces of the ceiling above us. Everyone was alright, but Chase and I were stuck on the wrong side of the debris.

"We need to find a way to get you guys out!" Sam anxiously shouted.

"It's alright guys, I've got this!" I turned to Chase," you wanna see something cool?"

His widening smile and adorable nod gave me the go ahead to take action, I'm honestly kind of excited to get to show them a bit of what I can do.

"Everybody step back a little, I'm gonna move the debris."

After hearing everyone clear away I plant my feet firmly shoulder width apart and focus my energy up through my brain stem at the back of my neck, into my brain, and out through the front of my body. A nearly impossibly small amount of light left my body and gripped around the fallen pieces carefully lifting them from the ground before us.

I motion for Chase to step through first and he cautiously moves through. Once he's clear of the debris path I quickly follow behind feeling the shift of energy moving from my front, around to my back before I carefully place the pieces back down and leg go of my tense energy.

"That was amazing!" Chase shouted.

"Dude, That was so cool!" Seán out yelled him.

Everyone shouts words of approval and astonishment aside from Tessa who's still held between Sam and Marzia. This feels so unreal. Not long after everyone calms down we head for the exit to go exploring and searching for things we could use. It's amazing how quickly the days pass by when you're always so busy trying to get things done, it doesn't feel like we've been here for hours but we have.

As Felix carefully drives us around the other side of the Aurora everyone sits around the front window watching the waves pass by, looking to see if there's anything possibly helpful around.

"So what's a gravity circle?" Amy asked, sitting beside me.

"That's when I create either an increase or decrease of gravity reaching a certain range out from my body in a circular shape. Like most Mutants I keep an energy seal around myself to prevent my natural power from affecting the gravity around me on its own. If I were to release it gravity would increase by a good 2-3 notches without me even trying or wanting it to. Anyone above rank 2 has a natural gravity circle."

"What rank are you?" Mark asked.

"Does it matter?"

He raised his eyebrow curiously but chose not to press the question.

"I guess not." He shrugged.

Most mutants fall into the higher end of rank 2 or the lower end of rank 3 so someone being a rank 4, especially rank 5 is horribly rare. I don't know why I've always felt so uncomfortable with my own power, I guess much like the word 'prodigy' higher rankings tend to make people treat you differently. It makes finding real friends and not having enemies a lot harder.

"I'd love to see what more you can do." Marzia smiles.

"Hey, now that I don't have to worry about hiding it I'm happy to show you guys and help as much as I can."

"Awesome!" Amy smiled, signing 'rock on'.

She's a nerdy dork and I love her for it. I can hear Tessa thinking about trying to prove she's still useful, she seems really afraid of being left alone out here. Regardless of the crap she's done I don't think any of us would ever just abandon her in a place like this unless she became a real danger, hopefully she'll figure that out.

I start scanning the waters around us carefully, I swear I can hear voices whispering constantly. But where is it coming from? How are there so many? And if they aren't near by why can I still hear them?

"I'm gonna lower us into this Creepvine area so we can check out that wreckage over there." Felix points just outside of the forested area.

"Everyone needs to be careful, we're in Reaper territory." I said.

"Are reapers harder to talk to?" Sam asked.

"Some animals are so naturally violent that it takes a huge amount of energy just to be able to calm them down enough to listen."

"Oh, that makes sense." Beth nodded.

Everyone aside from Marzia, Tessa, and Sam began searching the wreckage and the surrounding areas for anything we might be able to use. Seán puts his hand on my shoulder as I'm exiting the Creepvine area and points to the space in front of us.

Looking up I can see the exact line where the biomes change, where the sunlight glistens through the waves and over luminescent plant life. Dozens of fish of all kinds gliding along the cross currents chirp and sing out their natural calls to one another, moving seemingly in harmony without effort. Smaller fish swimming back and forth between the barriers appear to be playing together as others skirt along the ocean floor in search of food. Nature in all it's beauty.

I hear Seán chuckle and I turn to look at him.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing, it's just good to see you so calm and happy even when we're not alone. You always seem to just blend into nature, fitting right into it. Like a glove!" He smiles.

"You're adorable." I poke his shoulder.

"Oh, shut up." He nudges me.

Continuing on we don't find a whole lot aside from more of the materials we don't have inside the safe zone. I still can't pin point the whispering, and it's starting to feel unsettling.

After piling back in the Cyclops Felix's starts taking us into the next biome, the whispers start getting louder.

"Are you alright?" Seán asked.

"I.. I don't know. I can hear something, it sounds like whispers but I don't know what it is or where it's coming from."

"Are we in danger?" Marzia asked.

"I'm not sure, it's still just whispers."

"Let us know if you hear anything important, okay?" Amy said.

"I will."

The further we went the louder the whispers became, whatever it is we're moving towards it. I find myself unable to focus as the whispers turn to clear voices, thousands of voices, talking and screaming and making horrible sounds all at once. They never stop. They just get louder and louder and I can hear the pain in every voice, more and more of them becoming heard by the second. I can feel my breathing become frantic as they get louder and louder as more of them turn to screams and unintelligible noises, I just want it to stop!

They need to stop!

I can't take this much noise make it stop!!

MAKE IT "STOP!!"

I feel the Cyclops jolt to a sudden stop, tears running down my face, but still I can't focus.

"They won't stop, make them stop, it's so loud, please make it stop." I whisper.

I curl into myself, I just want it to end. I feel something touch my shoulder and shift my body but I don't know what it is, I just know the voices. Those awful voices.. all of that pain..

I get moved again. Even with as loud as the voices are I still can't understand them, but I can feel the pain they're moaning out. It can feel it settle into my bones making me shiver from the inside out.

"N/N!!"

I look up to the loudest voice and my eyes lock on Seán's worried face. Focusing on his thoughts the others finally get a little quieter. I finally realize almost everyone else is behind him staring at me. I can hear they're thoughts to, the unknown voices quieting just a little more. I finally become aware of how fast my heart is racing, trying to take control of my breathing.

Seeing just past my friends I can see a sudden drop off into what looks to be pitch black ocean. Whatever I'm hearing is down there..

"We can't.." I swallow hard," We can't go down there, the voices.. the screams.. they're down there.. they won't stop.. there's so much noise."

Just then I hear the hatch to the Seamoth open, in an instant I turn to see Tessa quickly getting in and run over to try and stop her. I can hear her thinking of wanting to prove she can be helpful.. that she can go and see if we need anything on her own. I can't believe she's being so reckless with her own life!

"Tessa stop!"

Right as I grab her shoulder she drops down into the Seamoth taking me with her, thanks to the auto release we're now out in the open water. Without thinking I push myself back against the wall as Tessa adjusts herself to the controls, moving us forward into the depths.

"Stop!! What are you doing!? We're gonna die!"

"I'm gonna find anything we might need without risking everyone's lives together. We'll be fine."

"No we won't!! Something is down there!"

"If something does get to us we can use the emergency eject button, I won't go down far enough to where it won't shoot us above the cliff." She firmly stated," You shouldn't have come, this would be safer for one."

"I didn't do it on purpose!! And it's not safe for ANYONE!!"

'Warning: Entering Ecological Dead Zone'

"See? Nothing out here."

An enormous hallow roar echos from beneath us as we glide down along the rocky wall. The voices seem to be laced together inside of the echo and I can feel my body going numb with fear.

"What the fuck?" Tessa questions slowing our decent.

Out of nowhere an enormous glowing creature comes bursting through the darkness slamming the Seamoth against the drop off. My eyes are glued to the see through creature as it's worm like body moves past us. It's body looks like it's reaches through other dimensions, whatever Mutant created this species was either very cruel or had no idea what they were doing. Who in their right mind would rip the soul out of a leviathan and give it a multidimensional body? No wonder all I hear is screaming and pain!

"What was that!?"

"..a ghost Leviathan.." I whispered.

As Tessa started us back towards the Cyclops two new Leviathan come out of the darkness and cross attack our ship, affectively bending half of the inside. The seat and the controls are broken almost perfectly down the middle, the Leviathan coming back at us.

There's no more time.

Without thinking I strap Tessa into the functioning side of the seat and slam down on the ejection button, launching her back over the cliff edge and into safety. The launch pushing the remaining Seamoth just below the attack of the Leviathan.

Not knowing what else to do, I pull my gear on and face the window wondering if I could lift myself out of this hell. Before I can try another Ghost reaper slams it's jaws into my ship destroying the Seamoth around me, throwing me against the wall. Landing on a ledge I press up against the wall as the voices behind to over take my senses. I'm going to die, aren't I?

Turning my head to the wall I see a large crevice in the cliff side, it looks almost like a tunnel. I can see an air pocket just inside, so I start crawling through. If I'm going to die today, I'm gonna go down fighting.

**~Felix's POV~**

Before we could swim past the drop off half of the seat from the Seamoth comes flying past us and back to the Cyclops. A roar erupts from below as everyone rushes back to the Cyclops, seeing whichever of the girls who came back climbing inside.

As soon as everyone is safely inside everyone sees Tessa panicked in the corner as I pull us back and retreat into safety. Just as I start turning us around a giant ghost like creature surfaces from the drop off just missing the end of our ship to go back down to the depths.

"We have to go back!" I hear Seán start screaming," She's still down there we can't just leave her!"

"Calm down Sean!" Chase yells.

I can see him trying to hold him back in the reflection.

"I don't wanna leave her either!" I yell back," But I'm not about to risk everyone's lives like that. With the tools we have if we go back we all die!"

"There's nothing we can do for her now." Chase whispers, I can hear his voice crack as he speaks.

I look back to the reflection and see both Chase and Seán sitting against the wall in tears. Everyone else is either barely holding together or crying quietly. I try to breathe deeply and focus on driving as my own tears spill over.

I can't believe that just happened. Is she really gone? Did we really just lose one of our friends? Is this my fault for insisting on going further? What are we going to do now?

Hearing Seán and Chase crying openly I can't help but let out my own whimpers. By the time we make it home the moon is in the sky and everyone is completely drained, still sniffing back tears. After getting back inside the base everything felt wrong, and the fact that we can immediately see her room when coming inside isn't helping.

"What happened?" I whisper, I can hear the brokenness in my own voice.

Tessa whimpered at the thought, I'd be surprised to see the tear stains on her face accept that she's probably only upset about seeing that ghost thing. I turn to look at her.

"Tessa," I say slightly louder," We need to know what happened."

She takes a deep breath and calms her shaking body before speaking.

"I wanted to go and find something useful without putting anyone else in danger, but she grabbed my shoulder when I dropped down and she fell in as well," She breathed," With the auto drop she just ended up out with me. I wasn't thinking straight so I went forward.. I just wanted to prove that I could still be useful I'm so sorry I thought we would both be able to launch out!!" She bursts into tears once again.

"Why couldn't you?" Beth asked, anger laced in her voice.

"They.. they rammed us against the wall. The Seamoth couldn't take the hit and the seat and the controls split in half. Only one half was still functional and before I could react she tied me down on the seat and shot me out." She continued crying.

"She can't be dead can she?" Amy mumbled.

"Amy.. it doesn't make sense to think she isn't." Mark sadly remarked.

"Wait." Marzia said," Wait! Look, the numbers are still the same. Wouldn't it make sense that if they knew we could die, the numbers would change? It still says 10/10!"

"I don't think we should let ourselves hold onto something that small for hope." Sam replied.

"I'm gonna take watch tonight." Seán said, climbing up the ladder.

Chase gave the rest of us a concerned and very broken down look before following Seán to the roof. Everyone else agreed to give them space for a while before calling it a night, though I doubt any of us will really get any sleep after today.

Amy and Marzia briefly talked about something they wanted to do before separating. Walking over to Marzia I take her hand causing her to look away from N/N's room and over to me. I gently kissed her forehead and lead her back to our room.

"What are we gonna do?" She quietly asked.

"I wish there were something we could do."

"I don't want to believe she's gone.. and I can't just think the numbers don't mean anything. I know that it's almost impossible for her to be alive.. but it hurts so much to think about I feel like just can't do it."

Wiping tears from her face I pull her close and hold her tight.

"I don't want to believe it either.. but don't let yourself get too caught up in what could be false hope alright?"

"Yeah.. okay."

**~Chase's POV~**

I climbed out just behind Seán as he quietly sat himself down, facing the Aurora. I sit myself beside him pulling out a toilet paper roll form the ship to use as tissue. Lightly tapping his arm he looks over and takes some.

We sit quietly for a long time, watching for anything unusual and trying not to continue crying.

"I can't believe we left her there," He started," I know it was right for the rest of us.. but I feel so wrong about it."

"It's normal to feel like that, I feel it too. We may not all have known her for long but I feel like we got really close.. I know the two of you definitely did."

"Yeah.. yeah we did. She was just here with us, it doesn't feel real. We didn't even see what happened."

"I know."

We broke down with tears and sobs together, leaning against the hatch and each other for support. What do you do? When someone you've just come to care for dies? It feels like something big and important, a part of us is missing. It feels like all we can do, is cry.


	21. A New Day

**Seán's POV**

The sun is just beginning to rise when I hear Chase start to stir from his sleep. I'm unsurprised to see him jolt awake, a couple of tears dripping down his face. I let him calm down and come back to reality before speaking.

"You dreamt about her too, huh?"

"I... yeah. How long have you been up?"

"I woke up about an hour or two ago the same way you did." I sighed," We should eat."

"I'm not really feeling food right now."

"You know if she heard you say that she'd basically force something in your mouth." I laugh dryly.

He laughs quietly in response.

"Yeah, that's true."

He stood up and popped his back before offering his hand.

"Ready for a swim? I know we got the other food from the ship but I feel like we both could use a good swim."

I take his hand and he helps pull me to my feet.

"Alright, maybe it'll help calm my mind."

We head down as the sun glistens over top the waves, most of the others are already downstairs just sitting or eating. It doesn't look like anyone else really got any sleep either. Everyone either nodded or waved as we walked towards the exit chamber.

When we left the base I stop at the sight of the light shinning down into the waves. It looks almost exactly like the first time N/N and I came out together, even the ocean itself looks incomplete without her in it. I turn to see Chase staring out into the open, probably having the same thoughts I am.

"Do you wanna swim around to the Creepvine forest before coming back?" I asked.

"Yeah, that would be good."

We spend a good hour and a half swimming around before grabbing up some fish and heading back to the base. We quietly sat down together for our meal, as odd as it may seem being with someone who hurts as much as I do is comforting. At least we can try and keep moving forward together.

Amy and Marzia enter the base as we finish our food and ask everyone to follow them outside, normally I'd be curious about why but I can't get myself to care enough to ask. I'd forgotten how hard it is to think when you lose someone.

A short distance away there's a small high rise next to the end of the safe zone, as we approach it I realize what they wanted us to see. They made her a memorial. A small circle of beautiful stones and shells layered in the center of the high rise, little hand made pieces of red and green jewelry rested in the center where the sand is above the water. The two of them had placed little flowers from the nearby plants in and around the circle, like someone would do at a funeral or on a grave.

My chest aches horribly as I start crying all over again, it's beautiful and I'm sure this will help at least a small bit with grieving.. but it still hurts so badly. The reality of it all really comes together when there's a memorial. When we climb up to the high rise I cant even find the energy to stand, so instead I kneel in front of the circle with Chase. Everyone else surrounds the rest of the circle quietly dealing with they're own grief, some crying some just blankly staring.

"Did she make these?" I hear myself ask, lazily pointing to the hand made bits in the middle.

The girls smiled together at my question, Amy chuckled before looking up to me.

"Yeah, she did. These are the things she made during our day out.. she used her favorite colors." She sighed.

"Huh.. she did them beautifully." I whispered.

"I'm sure she'd be happy you like them." Marzia smiled at me.

I smile in return before silence settles back in. We spend a good amount of time with her memorial, before placing our own pieces down. The girls each put a piece of they're own jewelry, most of the guys put down a lovely shell or a flower and I've just watched them not knowing what I could possibly put down myself. She'd be more annoyed then happy at me if I left anything useful..

"Wait.." I whisper to myself, reaching for my pack.

I feel everyone's eyes on me as I shuffle through the bag for what I wanted. After a moment I prick my finger on the edge of the Leviathan tooth I kept from the first adventure we went on, carefully reaching around the rest of the tooth I gently pull it out of my bag and push it into the open sand at the edge of the circle. 

"Is that?.." Marzia whispers.

"The Leviathan tooth that had been stuck in her side," I pause to muffle the whimper in my voice,"I kept it as a memento. A reminder that she made it out alive."

Breaking down in a fit of choking sobs the others attempt to comfort me in the midst of their own tears. We take a good half hour to cry together.

With the memorial complete and our energy for grief spent everyone heads back to the base, most everyone going back to their respective rooms.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Chase asked as we entered the main room.

"That's alright, I'm sure we could both use some time to ourselves." I wiped my face," Besides, I know you didn't sleep much either."

He nods solemnly before heading back into his room. After a moment I turn my attention over to the door.. I'm standing in front of our room. The door is still shut from when we left yesterday. It looks exactly the same.. but it's not. I don't know that I have the courage to go inside yet.

**~N/N's POV~**

I woke up to the same horrifying voices echoing through my mind I previously passed out to. I jolt at the sudden thuds of air against my breather, my mind fully recovering the incident from what I'm assuming is yesterday, judging by the sunlight shining through the opening. I look down and see a purple coral that has thankfully kept me breathing.

Where am I?

Looking around the small cave I can see it extending deep into the side of the drop off, there's a current coming in and out meaning there's an opening somewhere _away_ from the death echoes. I notice a few peepers coming in and out through the tunnel, I wonder if I can find a way to let the others know I'm alright by telling the peepers to see them. But peepers have a very small capability with memory.

My thoughts are interrupted when a sudden creature flings past my face making what sounds like happy clicking sounds before curiously swirling around me. Is that? That's a cuttlefish! Not an Earth one, but the modified one from the game. How is it all the way out here?

Remembering where I am I turn my head towards the tunnel, maybe that's where this leads. To one of the cuttlefish locations. Hopefully, it'll be the sand dunes where I can find my way back away from the depths. Or as Seán likes to call it, the 'Deep dark down, deep dark'. I laugh a little feeling myself smile thinking about Seán and his shenanigans, I can't wait to see him again.

Oh, God.

Is everyone alright? They must think I'm.. oh fuck. I need to get back home as soon as I can.

Huh.. home. I never thought I'd be saying that about a place like this.

 **Hey little guy** I think to the cuttlefish **Do you have a name?**

 **Hello! Known to Inuchat! What are known or is?** It asked.

 **My friends call me N/N, would you like to be my friend?** I asked, hopefully.

**Agree! Yay! Companion!**

I smile at it swimming around happily before giving it's back a gentle pet. Stretching my back and limbs I try to push away the terrifying moans and screams of pain coming from the ghostly creatures just beyond the opening to my right.

 **Do you know where this tunnel goes?** I ask my new little friend.

**Two ends! One where I came, dark big very warm. Big hungry others all around, angry also! Here feels better.**

**What about the other one?** I calmly prompt as my tank takes in more O2 from the coral sponge.

**Big opening! Closes big opens big, you creatures open to close.**

What? There's a door down here? Maybe the people who made this place built a shortcut back up top. I really, really hope so. Petting the cuttlefish as a thank you before getting up I pause.

My communications may be broken, but my mind isn't. I don't know if I could ever reach that far with my low energy, but I have to try. Especially considering they must think I'm gone..

Firmly planting my feet to the ground, arms against the walls at my sides I close my eyes focusing intently on the energy of my friends. Its easiest to find Seán and Chase's since we're the closest and our energies have tangled together most.

I need to focus as hard as I can, I don't have the energy to do this twice right now. I need one thing, one message.

**_ I'm alive. I'm coming home. I promise. _ **   
**_ I'm alive. I'm coming home. I promise. _ **   
**_ I'm alive. I'm coming home. I promise. _ **

My limbs momentarily slack before my energy comes back enough to push off the floor. I can only hope they heard me. Stopping to top off my O2 just in case I have a big distance to cross.

Facing down a pitch black tunnel with nothing but the light of my sea glide and little Inuchat by my side, there's nowhere to go but forward.

**~Seán's POV~**

I jolt to my feet in front of our door, did I just hear that? Was that real? Was that just in my head? What's going on? Chase bursts into the room with what I can only assume is the same look of shock and confusion I've got on mine.

"Did you hear that!?" He screams.

"You heard it too!? It's wasn't just me, I'm not crazy!?" I respond in kind.

Everyone starts rushing in to see what's going on.

"She's alive she's fucking alive!!!" I scream.

"I know!" He responds.

"What, are you guys talking about?!" Felix asks exasperatedly.

Chase and I look to everyone and shout in perfect unison.

"I'M ALIVE, I'M COMING HOME, I PROMISE!!"

Everyone stares at us for a moment in confusion before realization slowly seeps into each of they're faces. Overwhelming joy, excitement, and energy explodes through the room as everyone starts shouting, crying, and hugging. Laughing together with a kind of joy I could never describe in words.

Chase pulls me into a tight side hugs while tears flow freely down our faces, only this time they're tears of joy. We're crying in happiness.

She's alive, and now we're alive again too.  
I'm alive again, and she's coming home.


	22. No Place Like Home

**Chase's POV**

Waiting, is the hardest part. It's been a few hours since Seán and I heard N/N's message and no one knows what to do while we wait. Seán finally found the courage to enter they're room again. I watched him carefully open the door after having stared at it for most of the day.

Watching him look around as if the room was somehow all new to him, a million emotions passed over his face until finally a smile rested into his features. I smile myself at the return of his inner peace.

I glance towards the entry hatch and freeze in place. There was a man, just now there was a man trying to look in through the window. Oh fuck..

"Guys!!"

Everyone quickly starts coming through to the main room, obviously hoping N/N had come back already. I wish that were the case.. but it's not.

"What's going on?" Tessa quietly questioned.

"I saw a man, there was a man trying to look in through the hatch up front. I don't think he saw me though."

Seán immediately takes charge and starts directing everyone up the ladder.

"We need to get to the top floor, now. Felix and Mark, you guys go and watch the bottom floor entrance. Chase, could you come to the roof for look out with me?"

"Got it." Felix announced.  
"You bet." Mark responded.

"Let's head up." I answer, starting up the ladder.

"I'll keep watch over the rest of us in our room." Amy shouted, guiding the rest of the group into the bedroom.

Once reaching the roof the two of us lay ourselves down and carefully look over the sides in each direction. Seán nudges my foot to grab my attention and points out two men swimming towards the Creepvine forest. Thankfully, no one else appears to be nearby.

I grab my head cover to test a theory I just came up with.

"Hey, Mark. Do you think you'll be back at the base soon? You've been by the Creepvine for a while."

The two men immediately stop, sharing a glance before swimming around the outer rim of the forest.

"Yeah," Good, he caught on." I'm about to head back, might skirt around the edges to avoid the chompy fish."

The men, in response, swim even further out from the forest edge.

"Alright, see you soon bud."

"See ya."

We watch the men continue off until they're out of sight, I'm glad I decided to test my hunch. After a short while Seán helps me to my feet, and we head back inside.

Mark and Felix reach the upper level as we drop down from the roof, the rest of the group emerging from Mark and Amy's room. It's time to figure out some kind of defense system.  
  
  
  


**~N/N's POV~**

It's been about an hour and a half, give or take, since I've started swimming down this dark tunnel. It's funny, the darkness can be terrifying when you first stare at it head on, but the longer you move through it the more normal it feels. Your mind forgets that you were ever afraid in the first place while you're moving forward. It's when you stop, when the smallest bit of eerie light seeps through the cracks, that your mind snaps back to the darkness surrounding you.

There's a violaceous glow coming from an opening a few feet in front of me and suddenly the surrounding water feels heavy with darkness. Steadily moving forward I focus on breathing and notice a large grey door with a panel beside it a few more feet ahead of me; Just a little ways past the opening. Inuchat gently nuzzles against my hand in an attempt to settle my nerves.

I give it's little belly a scratch in thanks as I arrive at the opening. Carefully tilting my head forward. I'm momentarily blinded with the iridescent light of the plants and terrifying creatures that fill the deep dark. When my eyes adjust I see crab squid and armored predators of all kinds swimming around, hunting.

And then I look to the door.

A simple, grey, metal door big enough for 2-3 people to walk through side by side. Completely out of place, completely surrounded by the darkness, completely and cartoonishly terrifying. It's quite literally, laughably scary. Thankfully, thinking of it that way helps me relax and breathe. So what do I do now? Do I try to maneuver through the deep dark or do I dare discover what could be behind the door?

I look over at Inuchat, who smiles it's oddly shaped little mouth at me.

**What's behind that door?**

**Big square shiny cave. No water after first opening.**

**Is there a safe way to travel through your home?**

**Not your big. Only my small.**

I guess that settles it, I have to go through the door. And Inuchat either can't go with me, or has to be held in my bag. I _really_ don't want to be alone here.

**Inuchat. Would it be to much to ask, for you to ride in my bag for a while? You can see the inside, past where the water ends.**

**Can bring family?**

I look to the little creature curiously.

**How many?**

Inuchat taps my fingers individual, one after the other. Twelve, there are twelve cuttlefish total.

**Sure, I'd be happy to bring them too.**

Chirping happily, it flies through the opening and around the lower edges of some of the larger plant life bringing out each member of its family one by one. I watch as they dance flawlessly around the sight of the near by predators to gather together and return to me.

**Family! N/N!**

Inuchat motions to the others and then to me in introduction. I return each little greeting from the bunch before opening up my bag and allowing them to get comfortable inside. Gently closing the end of the bag I make sure there's a good amount of water for them to breathe before letting it go to follow me.

Quickly passing by the glow of the opening I stop just before the door and rest my hand on the butting before having time to worry or get anxious over what's behind it. A moment of stillness passes before a current of water is sucked in through the opening door until it stops at the cave walls. If not for the jutted out rocks beside it, I'd have been violently sucked through.

Keeping close to the walls I carefully and quietly enter, planting my feet on the floor as the door closes preparing for the water to drain. I carefully check the bag to make sure the water is still in it, and thankfully the cuttlefish are well submerged. An inner door suddenly opens, momentarily frightening me.

The metallic hall runs down into a separating fork, sprinkled with other doors that I assume are storage rooms running down it. Taking a glance around the area I see that there are no visible cameras set up, meaning this place doesn't need constant monitoring as well as not being intended for us to have found. I make my way to the first room and cautiously look through the tiny window.

A closet, as I had expected. It has cleaning tools, survival tools, and a few weapons meticulously placed on the walls and shelves. I gently open the door and reach in, grabbing the two closest weapons to the door. An odd looking gun that feels endowed with.. something from my people and a short sword that's well sharpened. They're stuck to the walls tight, if I do he then down it would reveal that I'm here. I'll have to leave them behind.

I check in the room across which is much bigger. Full of diving gear; wet suits and mech suits, as well as attachments for vehicles. Nothing we don't have.

Moving forward I come to the next door, or doors I should say. Double doors leading into a sterile room full of medical equipment. A table, the proper lights, sterile gloves and coverings, surgical tools, monitors, everything. Marzia comes to mind. I can't.. there's no way I can just leave without scanning all of this.

I look around the area, I don't hear or see anyone so I slide through the door and look around inside. No cameras, good. I open the largest cabinet I can find and thankfully see exactly what I was looking for. Stirrups. I scan them and move on to the bigger tools around the room before opening drawers and cabinets to scan every small tool and object I can find. It takes a good 15 to 20 minutes, but i have everything scanned. All the blueprints we could ever need are in hand, so to speak.

I hear the thoughts of men coming by and duck down beneath the gurney, thankfully I thought this might happen so I never turned on the light or moved anything. The basic strategy training my local squad of Mutants followed really does come in handy a lot.

The door opens and the light turns on, two men who's inner voices I don't recognize come inside. I consciously slow my breathing and lower the volume of each breath, hoping they don't move the sheets hanging off of the gurney.

One of the men sits on it and the other begins asking him questions about recent allergy like symptoms. I watch the feet of the man who's asking questions and giving the other an exam as their conversation drags on.

"It's just the flu, you're fine."

It's not the flu, it's pneumonia. Fever, chills, fatigue, loss of appetite, shallow and fast breathing, coughing and shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, it all fits. Whoever this guys is, he has no idea what he's talking about.

The sick one jumps off the table dragging the sheets down with him, and my heart skips a beat. The end of the sheet just barely catches on the end of the gurney. I see the fabric crease as one of them lifts it to replace it back up to the padding. I watch in abject horror as it moves seemingly in slow motion away from where I sit.

The fabric is lifted half way from the floor before it drops back down about an inch. The lights turn off, the door closes, the men and their thoughts move away. I sit staring at the sheets, still just barely covering the spot I stupidly chose to hide in disbelief. I should have been caught, but I wasn't. My senses start to fall back to normal and I can hear the thoughts and curiosity of the dozen cuttlefish sitting comfortable inside my bag.

I listen a moment, to they're reactions to the things in the room they can see through the bag before finally standing. Crouching down I creep up to the door and glance through, no sign of anyone. Still, I slide back out the door as carefully as I can. One last room to check at the very end of the hall, it's a... bedroom. Of sorts.. That is definitely not a room I wanna be in. Or at least not one I'd admit to wanting to be in.

Now is not the time for that, so I shake my head slightly and peak past the edge at the end of the hall. No one to be seen or heard on either side, both curve around at the end preventing me from knowing which way the exit is. Crouching once again I quickly move down the hall to my left peaking around the second bend when I see a staircase leading up, obvious daylight shining down from above. I found it, I've found the exit holy hell, finally!

Stop. Don't get excited, me and my little friends aren't out of the woods just yet. Briefly checking on my new cuttlefish friends I prepare myself for possible confrontation.

I continue forward to see no one around the halls or up the stairs, but the sun is definitely shining through the hatch at the top. I throw myself forward, running up the stairs on my toes as quietly as I can, thankfully reaching the hatch in moments.

Without even a moment of pause I burst through the door and out into the open, immediately scanning my surroundings. There it is, the beacon for our home. I jump into a small raft with a decent motor and yank the power chain.

It's time to go home.


	23. Finding Each Other

**Seán's POV**

We were half way through setting up thick metal panels around our base when it started happening. Blueprints started popping up out of nowhere, medical equipment. It must be N/N, where the hell is she that there's all of this medical equipment?

"She remembered me.." Marzia whispers to herself.

"She must be inside of wherever those men have been staying." Chase announces.

A wave of fear momentarily rushes through me when I consider the possibility that those men might find and catch her. Thankfully Chase grips my shoulder before I can spiral into my thoughts.

"I swear if you forget how terrifying and strong she is, she's gonna kick your ass when she gets back." He grins.

Heheh, I guess he had the same thought I did. I grin back fondly at the idea of her being here to kick my ass.

"How could I forget when I was the one who saw her basically tame a few dozen carnivores with a thought?" I laugh.

"Good point." He responds, patting my shoulder.

We finish putting up the perimeter as the blueprints continue flowing through, I'm actually kind of proud of myself for knowing what a good amount of them are used for. After finagling two passages under the new wall on either side of the base area we double check that they're in hidden spots before installing hatches over them. If only we had blueprints for our own security cameras we'd be all set.

"We should go collect more resources, in case we need to reinforce these walls or add anything on later." Felix mentioned.

"Sticking to groups right?" Amy questioned.

"Of course." Felix nodded.

Felix, Marzia, and Tessa remain at the base while the rest of us look for more materials. Mark and Amy went to look down by the Aurora away from Leviathan territory. Beth and Sam went down into all the nearest caves, and Chase is with me looking around just past the Creepvine forest. Everyone agreed to meet back by the shallow area where the memorial was set up in order to take her things back home.

Swimming along the forest the Stalker fish come to swimming along side us, making Chase visibly nervous.

"They won't hurt us." I assure him.

"Right.. you said N/N had basically trained them right?" He said, side eyeing the stalkers.

"Yeah, she befriended them I think. She told them not to hurt us."

"She told them not to hurt _you_ , I wasn't here." He nervously joked.

"You're fine, Besides if they eat you then the rest of us will have another room to chill in."

"Yeah man, totally the best outcome." He laughed.

Once we started collecting materials and scrap metal the Stalkers started bringing us scrap metals from all around the forest and probably just outside of it. The longer we go the more time we spend just taking the materials from the Stalkers instead of farming around. This is a much more effective way to gather materials, I could definitely get used to this.

Needless to say, it didn't take us long to collect as much as we could take. On our way back to the meeting spot I see a creature egg wiggling around in the sand, judging by the Stalker swimming just beside it, it's probably a Stalker egg. Yeah, I definitely have to see this.

I motioned to Chase as I swam up beside the egg without risking angering it's mother. Just as we lay ourselves in the sand a small crack pushes out on the side of the egg. The mother nudges the egg so that it's little face is tilted upwards and it's tiny snout pushes against the newly formed crack. A small piece just big enough to fit the tiny snout floats away, it's tiny little teeth pulling away at the egg shell like a teething puppy.

It finally pulls off a good sized piece of its shell and flings right out of the hole and into my chest. I gently cup my arms around it until it gets its wits back and starts swimming around frantically and unevenly. Strings of what I think is yolk falling off of its scales as it goes. The mother gently and lovingly nudges it, helping it find it's center. It shakily swims up to us and swims against my arm before doing the same to Chase and swimming back to it's mother.

I see Chase's smile overtake his features as they swim back into the creepvine. I feel the joy rush through me as we head to the rendezvous point, occasionally looking back to the new little stalker swimming around energetically.

It doesn't take too long until we make it to the meeting spot. The tide is particularly low today so there's a pretty long stretch of rock and sand above the waves. The two of us pick up the memorial as we sit down and wait. I pick up the necklace and head piece she put together, they're actually very well made and the colors flow into beautiful patterns. Damn, I can't wait to see her again.

"Okay watching that little dude hatch was pretty amazing."

"Hell yeah, it was!" I cheer,"That was like, the coolest thing ever! We got to see life happen!"

Chase laughs out loud offering a fist bump, still reminiscing about the baby Stalker when the others come up to the land strip.

"Guys! Guess what we just saw." I grin.

"What?" Amy asks curiously.

"We just watched a baby Stalker fish hatch." Chase announced.

"Dude, seriously!? I wish I was there to see it!" Amy flailed.

"Ah, the miracle of life is wonderful." Sam smiled, taking Beth's hand.

"As fun as this is, we should head back because of those men out there." Mark mentioned.

"Good point, let's go." I say as everyone stands up.

_hey!_

Wait.. did.. did I just hear that?

_Hey!_

Everyone looks at me before looking behind me towards the end of the land strip. I'm suddenly.. very afraid to turn around. I want to see her, I want it to be her, but if it's not.. I turn around all at once, just in time to see N/N pulling herself up onto the strip of land. She stops to catch her breath and I watch her. She stares at me a moment, and I stare back. I can't believe she's really here, she's really alive! Her eyes are almost shining, they're so full compassion.. so full of love.

I feel my legs pull me forward as she runs towards me, both of us moving as fast as our legs can carry us. The two of us slowing down just in time to not crash full force into each other, still coming together in the tightest and warmest embrace I've ever shared with anyone in my life. I hold her as close as I can without hurting her, breathing with her. Taking in and feeling every bit of happiness we have to share.

I hear the others quietly walk up to us, but right now I don't even care to look at them. Warm tears stream down my face, and I hear her sob next to my ear, so I pull her just a little closer.

"I was so afraid," She whispers to me," I was so afraid I'd never see you again."

"Me too," I kiss the side of her head," but we're okay now. We're together and we're okay." I whisper back.

Chase gently puts his hands on our shoulders and she moves over to hug him as well. Before long they exchange 'I miss you's, everyone has hugged her and welcomed her back when Mark decides to takes us all into a big group hug.

Everyone starts heading back into the water to go back home; It'll feel like home again. I look back at N/N, watching her smile at our friends when I take her hand. She looks me in the eyes, the light shining through them and all I wanna do is hold her.

"If you disappear again, I might just have a heart attack." I chuckle.

She gives me that special smile and squeezes my hand.

"Believe me, You wouldn't be the only one." She laughed back.

We jump into the water and follow behind the rest of our friends, looking around at the scenery on our way home. She looks at me with a questioning look when the barrier around the base comes into view, and I point to the hatch we're heading towards.

"It's an extra precaution because one of those men was looking through the entrance window." I explain.

"Aah, okay. That was a good call, definitely a good idea." She nodded.

At Beth's request, N/N and I go inside last to surprise Marzia and Felix with her being back. When we finally walk in Felix is just finished asking where I am when Marzia spots N/N and screams louder then I think even I can. She runs up to N/N and they share a tearful embrace, while Chase comes to stand beside me.

"N/N?"

Everyone turns to face Tessa, as she carefully comes out of her room.

"Tessa." N/N calmly responds.

I wish it were easier to read her face when she gets that way.

"I just.." Tessa whispers,"I'm so sorry."

Tears start pouring down her face as she walks up to N/N.

"I know I fucked up, and.. and I know I was fucking stupid but I promise!.. God.. I promise I never meant for any of that to happen, I didn't mean-

"It's alright." N/N interrupts, gently hugging Tessa,"I know that regardless of how much you dislike me you would never do something like that on purpose."

Tessa continues to cry and apologize while N/N gently rubs her back. N/N continues to tell her that she's forgiven while the rest of us just.. watch. It takes several minutes for Tessa to calm down and separate the hug, after apologizing to everyone one last time she goes back to her room.

Everyone starts talking with N/N and I just watch her from the side. I can feel a smile plaster itself on my face while Chase leans up against the wall.

"You're not gonna join in?" Chase questioned.

"No, not now. We sleep in the same bed, I'll let everyone else have their time to be happy with her before we all go to sleep."

"Well then, I guess I should get my time in too," He snickers," You love birds better have a good night after this." He exaggerates, winking at me.

I feel my face heat up while he walks away shooting finger guns at me. I laugh nervously and roll my eyes at him.

"Shut it, dick." I mumble.

He just laughs again before joining in the conversation. I look back to N/N and notice her ears are particularly red.. she heard what Chase said. Isn't that just.. terribly nice.

She looks over to me and tries to hold in a laugh at my embarrassed face. I make a scene of rolling my eyes and she sticks her tongue out at me, making me laugh. Felix looks over to me and raises his eyebrows at me ridiculously. I swear every one of our friends have one track minds.

I continue to watch everyone talk and laugh, occasionally getting in on the conversation but mostly just watching her. After what happened.. I'm just so happy to see her here and smiling with everyone. I'm almost afraid of taking my eyes off of her.

~~

I know it's been at least a couple of hours, but it feels like barely any time has passed with everyone laughing together. Chase, Felix, and I keep horsing around whenever Marzia, Beth, and Amy start asking N/N about having an occasion to wear all the stuff they made together. Eventually though, everyone was getting tired and started heading off to bed. Chase was the last one to say goodnight when I took N/N by the hand and walked her back to our room.

I watch her walk to the corner of the room and set up the smaller of the aquariums available to us before suddenly and carefully putting a dozen cuttlefish into the water. Where in the world, did she find a dozen cuttlefish?

I close the door, watching them smile and chirp at her while she gives them each a little head scratch. She turns and smiles wide, motioning me over to the tank.

"Where did you find them?" I ask approaching the tank.

"One of them found me when I was trapped between a pitch black tunnel and the dead zone in a small crevice in the drop off," She picked one up just slightly," Inuchat helped me keep my head clear as I made my way back, we came across its family on the way back to you."

I looked down to the adorable little creature in her hands and gently pet its head, it turned to smile at me.

"Thank you for helping, little friend."

She took my hand and placed it on the little creatures head, intertwining our fingers.

**Can speak now? He hears?**

I jump at the sudden voice in my head, I look back at her and she nods. She's letting me hear what she hears.

**Hey, little duder.**

**Hello friend! N/N thinks on you much!**

**Oh, really?** I raise an eyebrow at N/N, who in turn blushes and rolls her eyes.

**Yes, much!**

**Well, I wanted to say thank you for taking care of my N/N.**

I try not to look as nervous as I feel saying that. I feel her stare at me as I talk to our new little friend.

**I enjoy! Inuchat love new friend, another! Family also!**

**Well, we'll love you guys too. She interrupted. Do you all want to go outside?** **Because I'm about ready to fall into that comfy nest over there.** She pointed to the bed.

**Please, yes! New family nest!**

**Alright, I'll put you back out then.**

With that, she let's go of my hand and Inuchat before carefully gathering them all in her bag and heading to the door.

"I'll be right back." She smiled,"Promise."

"You'd better."

She laughed as she left to let them go inside of the barrier. Thankfully there are little spots on the sand floor for the smaller fish to come in and out as they please. I can see her swim out to the barrier and let the small family of cuttlefish free. Each of them nuzzle a different part of her arms, face, or head before heading out to search for a good nesting area. Those are the most adorable little creatures, and I can't believe she let me talk to them.

She turns to come back inside and she sees me watching her, Jesus it's been a while since I've blushed this much. She waves at me and I awkwardly wave back before she heads back to the entrance.

She walks through the door after ringing her hair out over the drain system. She sits down on the bed and looks up at me until I join her on the bedside. She stares at me and I can't help but fidget under her gaze, I have no idea what she's thinking.

She takes a deep breath and takes my face in her hands, and watches my eyes. It takes me a moment to see her face is just as flushed as my own, when she leans forward and kisses me. I close my eyes, and kiss her back with every bit of passion and love that I have in me.

It's not heated or heavy, it's just loving. It's gentle, and sweet, and completely electric. I grip her waist and pull her onto my lap, deepening the kiss and she responds in kind. She wraps her arms around my neck and we hold each other close, breathing heavily between every long moment connected.

A few extensively joyous minutes later she pulls back to look me in the eyes again, and we smile at one another. She scoots back before laying down on my chest so I wrap my arms around her.

"Do you wanna date?" She whispered, breathlessly.

"There is no one else, in this planet or any other, that I would rather be with." I respond through the knots in my stomach.

She chuckles and lifts her head to look at me.

"I really hope that's a yes." She grins.

"It's definitely a yes." I kiss her forehead.

"Well then," she lays her head back down,"Best day I've had in a while."

"Hah, indeed it is."

I gently play with her hair while she plays with my other hand. It only takes a minute or two for her to fall asleep, and cuddle into my chest. I can feel every breath she takes, some of them are a little shaky though I think that's from the exhaustion. She's here, in my arms and smiling in her sleep instead of having night terrors.

She's beautiful, she's so intelligent, she's strong, and now she's mine.


	24. Face to Face With the Enemy

**Chase's POV**

Most everyone has been up for a few hours now, and the sense of relief and happiness in the air is palpable. We all wanted to let N/N rest so we've left them alone thus far, but the sun is angled to be about mid-day and I just really wanna see my friend.

I knocked lightly on the door and heard a quiet 'come in' from Seán so I carefully opened the door before going in and closing it behind me. I was greeted with the most adorable sight, N/N is quietly sleeping on Sean's chest and he's calmly running his fingers through her hair.

"What's up?" He whispered.

I sat down on the bed beside them, and wiggle my eyebrows at him.

"How goes it?" I ask in a suggestive tone.

"Shut up." He laughed,"We didn't and we probably won't anytime soon."

"Aww, come on. I was just teasing you." I chuckled,"How is she?"

"Well, I know she's exhausted because this is the first time she's slept through the night without any nightmares, let alone this far into the day. I think she's okay though, she was probably restless all night by herself over with those damn Leviathan."

"I can't imagine how scary that must have been. How did she even get out of there?"

"I don't know yet, I didn't wanna bombard her with questions just yet." He sighed.

N/N shifted slightly and yawned before opening her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw me in their room looking at her. Seeming to suddenly realize she wasn't directly on her bed she tilted her head and looked up at Seán.

"Hello." She whispered, hoarsely.

"Hello there." He smiled, kissing her head.

"Did I miss something uh.. weird? Is there a reason I woke up with both you in the bed?" She smirked.

"Hah! As if either of you could get this action!" I posed dramatically.

We all laughed as N/N sat up and shifted to the side of Seán. We let her stretch for a minute before finally starting to ask her questions.

"So uh, how did you survive?" I asked cautiously.

She chuckled quietly before looking up at me.

"You don't have to be afraid to ask me what happened," She smiled,"And there was a cave."

"A cave?" Seán questioned.

"Yeah, I landed on a ledge and there was a small opening I swam into for safety. There was an air coral inside the cave, which was actually much bigger than the opening. I passed out for a while but when I woke up Inuchat showed up."

"What's an Inuchat?" I asked.

"It's one of the modified cuttlefish. She brought it's whole family back here when we got home. They're living just outside of the wall." Seán answered.

"Oh! That's cool." I double thumbs upped.

"It lead me back through a very dark tunnel going into the drop off wall. It lead to both the deep dark and a man made door that took me to a HUGE base behind the floating Island. When I got out I took a boat thingy they had to get away. I stopped by the Aurora and left it there in case they can track it." She finished.

"That's where you found all those blueprints, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, That was a good thing that came out of it." She said, shifting off the bed.

"Do we have like, a group plan to do anything or are we just gonna start going day by day?" She asked, moving towards the bathroom.

"We're collecting what we need to reinforce the new walls!" I shouted towards the bathroom.

"Gotcha!" She yelled back.

Seán and I laughed before getting up ourselves. I told him I'd see them when they were done getting up and returned to the main section of the base.

"Chase!" Amy jogged over to me, Marzia in tow.

"How are they doing?" She asked.

"They're good! She was asleep until a little bit ago, which is good. She got good rest and they'll be up and at-em soon."

"That's so good to hear." Marzia sighed in relief.

"You gonna stay here again today?" I asked her.

"Actually I'm getting REALLY antsy being cooped up in this base every day. So Felix and I decided I could use some time in the water. Besides! N/N said exercise is a good thing for me." She beamed.

"Sounds good!" I smiled back.

"We're gonna head out soon, we're gonna see if N/N will come with us." Amy announced.

Seán opened the door to their room letting N/N go through first, as everyone happily greeted them. The girls surrounded N/N talking excitedly as they talked about going out for resources together and being happy to see each other. They asked about her finding her way back while everyone else started coming down to the main room, watching them all smiling and laughing for a while. I was about to join in the conversation when Marzia started jumping up and down excitedly.

"I almost forgot!! We have your jewelry, and we wanted to see if you wanted to help make an occasion to wear them!" She shouted, taking her hands.

"Hah! Yeah sure, why not. How exactly would we go about making an occasion for that?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Who knows, but we can brainstorm while we're out today!" Beth cut in.

"Alright, alright!" She laughed at the silly dance Beth did.

The girls say their good byes before heading out for the day while the rest of us get our gear on to head out towards the Island we have yet to visit. I notice Seán looks as uneasy as I feel so I pat his shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring. Neither of us really want to be anywhere but right next to N/N today, but we also know we shouldn't suffocate her. Then again, she didn't exactly seem thrilled to be away from Seán so soon either.

Felix lead us all outside of the barrier and made sure to do a head count once everyone was out and ready to go. We were about to head out when I spot something riding on top of the water coming towards us from the Creepvine forest.

"Guys, look out!" I yell as the craft comes to a halt just above us.

Before I really know what's happening we all scramble to get back to the other side of the barrier before whoever just arrived sees us. As soon as everyone gets inside there's a loud banging noise on the outside of the barrier and what sounds like a man yelling. I quickly follow Seán and Felix up to the roof of the base as Mark and Sam stay down by the door just in case.

The barrier is taller then the base so while we can hear the men we can't see them.

"Come on out of there, we just wanna have a talk with you folks!" A man yells over the barrier.

Looking between one another, we remain silent. None of us are really sure of what to do here.

"Fine," The man continues," If you refuse to come out, then we'll just have to force our way in."

There's an ominous undertone to his words, but before we have time to do anything an enormous claw like machine arches over the barrier and latches on, spikes piercing the metal. The other two come rushing through the hatch at the deafening sounds of metal being crushed and torn away. Within moments an entire chunk of the barrier is gone and we stand face to face with a dozen men with terrifying looks in their eyes.

One of them slams a button on their water craft and a metal walkway extends out and latches onto the base side, hooking around it. We stand tall trying to think about what to do as the men calmly approach us. The biggest of the men stops a foot or two in front of us and breaks into a disgusting grin.

"Aww, where are all of your lovely little girls at? We'd **love** to meet them."

The meaning behind his words makes my skin crawl. I can feel my body tense with an anger I know I need to keep in check until we can form a plan, but it's hard not to just knock his teeth in for the grotesque look on his face when he asks about them.

The man quickly becomes aggravated at our refusal to respond, becoming visibly angrier every passing moment.

"I guess none of you are feeling cooperative today. We'll have to change that." He growls.

He suddenly pulls out a large knife and dives right for Sam as the other men come running at the rest of us, the sound of rushing water briefly catching my attention.

The men suddenly freeze mid stride. They're bodies becoming visibly tense as they stand frozen in place when out of nowhere they all fly backwards in unison as if they had been slingshot by something.

N/N cuts between us from behind and stops just in front of the connecting metal panels. Where did she come from?

"Are you alright?" She glances back to us.

Confused, we all look back to one another before giving her a nod. She sighs in relief and turns her attention back to the men who are now regaining their whits.

"The girls are inside, I just pushed myself over the wall so I could get to you in time. You should go inside now."

I've only ever heard such a serous and hard tone come from her twice, and frankly it's terrifying.

"We can't just leave you out here with them." Seán protests.

"Don't forget about the things I can do that you can't, Seán. If you're inside and out of the way I won't have to worry so much about all of your safety. I need to be able to focus." She resounded, sternly.

"We just got you back, we can't just-

"Do as I say!" She yells,"I'll be alright."

The larger man suddenly cries out as he charges towards N/N. She lifts her left hand just slightly and suddenly we're all face down on the base. My body feels 300lbs heavier, like there's some unseen force pushing me down. I see her flick her wrist and the weight is gone, but the men in front of her are now all plastered to the walkway they attached to our base, the light poles along it's sides flickering.

Three of the men manage to pick themselves back up while we help one another back up to our feet. I go to try and open up the hatch but it's stuck in place, I think the locking mechanism was jammed from the sudden gravity change. I look back to N/N and watch her twist her hands in unison causing clumps of Creepvine to surface and wrap tightly around the limbs of the men who couldn't get back up. The vines dragged them away, out and towards the Aurora.

"I've always wanted to have the chance to kill one of you human lovers myself." The largest man spat,"My father may have built this place and made our kind known, but he's delusional if he thinks he's any kind of equal to us."

"It's a shame," She calmly responded,"I bet your father always did his best to give you everything you could ever need. Yet you're still nothing more then a selfish, entitled, childish, brat."

The man's jaw flexed in anger as his hands started to turn red, the air around his arms forming heat waves. Oh God, What are we gonna do?

"It's alright," She looks back once again," I'll protect you."


	25. The Final Battle Part 1

Trigger Warning: Character death, slight gore, and violence

**Seán's POV**

I have to find a way to get everyone inside. The longer we're in her way, the more danger everyone will be in. I spot a long piece of broken off metal shift into N/N's hand, it looks to be about the size of an average staff.

"Here's to hoping my dream vision wasn't true." I hear N/N whisper.

Before I can react the gravity circle fades off as N/N and the men charge towards each other. I gather everyone's attention to try and get back down into the base. Quickly but carefully we gather around the hatch, but it's stuck in place by some of the debris from the barrier. I look up to see N/N slam her staff into the ground and fling herself over the first man, landing a hard kick to the second two men's faces and effectively slamming her staff into the front guy's head.

Turning my attention back to the hatch I start to help the guys pull out the pieces of debris we can get a hold of when I hear N/N grunt along with a loud slam. Stealing a glance back to the fight I see N/N break the nose of the guy holding her ankle with the staff before scrambling to her feet and cracking the third man's skull, the extra force from her telekinesis visibly adding force the to blow.

I can feel vomit try and push its way up my throat at the cracking sound and the sight of the now dead man fall limp. I swallow hard and start pulling on the hatch once again, but it won't budge. Everyone runs to crouch behind the hatch, just trying to be out of the way while N/N and the two men fight.

It's hard to see what's going on, they're moving so fast. They duck and weave, deliver hard blows, occasionally swinging around the light poles. Lighting and fire flies from the the limbs of the two men in a tangled and sporadic chaos. N/N's movements are more swift and calculated, more cautious.

We watched in abject horror as she hit the men with her staff and waves of compressed water while they fought just to land hits on her. Real life isn't like the movies, not much time has passed but the effort of the fight is draining her quickly.

There's a loud bang on the hatch scaring us back into focus. We all look through the glass and see Amy trying to push the hatch open from the inside. Without a word we spread out around the hatch and start pulling it together as both Amy and Marzia push. The hatch finally pops open throwing us all to the ground, looking back it's not open nearly enough to get in or out.

There a bright flash of lightning accompanied with a loud, painful scream. I rush to my feet just in time to see N/N collapse in pain, clutching her injured side as blood starts to seep through her suit.

"No!! Stop!" I hear myself scream.

I try to run over to her but the others are holding me back while the men continue to beat her with kicks and punches, consumed with fire and electricity. I just manage to break free from my friend's grip and throw the nearest piece of scrap mental I can reach at the first man's head.

The hatch finally flies open from the inside as the man angrily starts coming towards us, I push in front of everyone, picking up the closest bit of debris I could use as a weapon. The man swings a short sword I hadn't noticed before towards my head and I just barely manage to hold it off with the debris piece I held in my hands.

He swung again throwing me down hard and ridding me of what little protection I had. I slipped and landed on my hip while trying to stand. Sucking in a sharp breath I hear one of the girls shout just before I feel liquid spray over the side of my face.

Tessa caught his sword with her bare hands

Even more frustrated he grabs her by the hair and tears his shirt off knotting it to her ankle, quickly making his way to the nearest light pole. I finally get to my feet and run after him along with our friends, I feel a horrific wave of dread overcome my body as we watch him throw her upside down into the water dangling by his shirt.

Beth runs at the man with a sharp piece of scrap metal only for him to throw her into the water with barely a throw of his arm. I can see N/N has ended up in a wrestling match with the other mutant, both of them using their skills against each other any opportunity they get.

Chase suddenly throws his heated knife, blade first, at the man's head. It cuts right into the side of his eye, but not enough to stick. Tessa has begun thrashing violently under the water, but there's no way to reach her with the man still standing between us.

"Seán!" Amy shouts to me.

I turn just in time to catch another sharp piece of debris she'd thrown my way, cutting open my hand in the process. I realize everyone has picked up a 'weapon' and see exactly where this is going.

We charge the man in unison, some of us screaming some of us silent, all lunging forward to strike him at whatever angle we can reach.

Felix trips catching Sam on the way, but everyone else manages to make at least a small impact. Beth and I roll out of the attack and reach for the rope but the man's reflex is too fast, he grabs both of us by our legs and throws us all the way back against the open hatch.

Beth hit arm first, but my back collided right on the metal edge. My muscles spasm in pain and I try my best to force myself to breathe. My whole body starts tingling and tickling with the pain running through my nerves. I open my eyes and shift my legs, thank God I'm not paralyzed!

By the time I've regained my wits everyone is on the floor around me, attempting to pull themselves back up when suddenly an enormous shock wave of pressure shakes the entire base, filling he air with some sort of red smoke.

Wait

That's not smoke, that's not smoke at all!  
Everyone's attention locks onto N/N who is now not only covered in blood but standing over the puddle of what used to be the other man. The sickening smell of blood and guts settles in the air as the gory mist starts to fall away.

In an instant she's running full speed towards the rope holding Tessa by the ankle, forcefully knocking the last man over the other side of the railing. Everyone ran to her as she pulled a blue and unmoving Tessa from the waters, snapping the rope away with two fingers. Oh no.. please no. No more death.

"Seán look at me!!"

I snap my attention back to N/N seeing the final man yanking himself up from the waters a few feet behind her.

"I know we only briefly covered CPR but you need to-

Before she could respond she grunted catching the man's sword by it's handle breaking it out of his grasp and swinging it back towards him. She continues to swing and throw projectiles at him simultaneously while we drag Tessa back to the hatch, seeming like the best possibility for cover. I don't hesitate to attempt resuscitation, but she's been out for so long it'll be a miracle if her brain hasn't already died.. But I still have to try.

I drown out the sounds of combat and focus all of my energy into trying to revive Tessa. I feel my arms getting sore and my lungs burn with the effort but I keep going, that is until Chase finally pulls me off of her.

"She's gone, there's nothing else you could have done." He shouts in my ear.

I slump down against him only now realizing how much time I spent trying to bring her back. The palms of my hands are bruising from the effort of it, she's really gone.

N/N screams in pain ripping my attention away from what used to be one of our companions and over to the edge of our base. My heart stops when I see some kind of electric, see through, poles piercing through her right shoulder and both her thighs into the floor. A mixture of blood and some kind of misty blue liquid light slowly starts flowing from her newly opened wounds.

She's screaming a slur of 'No's and 'Stop it's' mixed with the pure panic of her tears and screams.

I get up and try to run, but I once I'm on my feet I can no longer move my body. I glance down and see and thick orange glow surrounding my body holding me still. I start pushing against the thick light but to no avail, and from the looks of it none of the others can get out either. The man laughs, a disgusting smirk sprawled across his face as he turns to face us. My eyes lock with N/N's for a moment, her expression is filled with fear, panic, and helplessness. I watch her frantically thrashing around, trying to escape but only causing herself more injury.

We're all gonna die, aren't we?


	26. The Final Battle Part 2

**Trigger Warning: Slight medical treatment based gore, violence, vomit, and minor character death.**

**Seán's POV (sorry I know it's his POV a lot right now)**

In the midst of N/N's screams and please I find myself staring death in the face, the man's short sword pointed directly at my midsection. Everything around me seems to freeze in place, phasing out of my mind accept for the man, his blade and what I can see of N/N crying.

I try my best to give her a reassuring smile, it may be cliché but it's the only thing I could hope to do now. The man grabs my attention with a dark laughter.

"I'm going to make this hurt, for a very very long time." He glances back to N/N," And you're going to watch every second of it."

He suddenly turns and thrusts his sword forward and I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself for some kind of pain I've never had to feel before. The kind of pain I've spent my whole life in fear of.

An enormous gust of wind and a heavy flash of light explode seemingly inches in front of me. I realize there's no pain in my body and open my eyes in confusion to see N/N standing just in front of me.

What the fuck just happened?

Her suit is torn to shreds, particularly around the holes from where the seemingly unreal poles had previously been. I glance down to see the sword sticking out of her back, just off center from her spine stopping just in front of where I stand. I can see her left hand gripping the little bit of blade that had yet to enter her body dripping heavily with blood.

She's not shaking, not flinching, not even wincing in pain; just breathing and keeping the blade from pushing forward regardless of the mans struggle to force it to move. She turns her head to the side, looking at me from her right eye and I can feel my hairs stand on end.

Her eyes are glowing and clouded over. Her body seems to vibrate with energy, some kind of sharp black and red energy building up around her arms and hands.

"Are you alright?"

She spoke so softly I almost didn't realize she'd said anything. I nod hesitantly, wondering how she managed to break free from whatever those things holding her down had been or how she'd been able to move so quickly.

She smiled at me, the small special smile she never shared with anyone else accompanied with a small sigh of relief. She reached up and tapped the orange mist causing it to suddenly disperse, everyone was now free. Before she finished reaching back to me I stepped up beside her and hugged her close. I don't know what's about to happen, but I do know there's a reason the man can't seem to move.

I stepped aside, afraid of somehow getting in her way when her face fell back into an unreadable expression. She moved her attention back to the man and took a deep breath before whispering two words.

"Scaoileadh Anam."

The sharp energy that had surrounded her arms suddenly exploded around her, pulling itself back to strike and flash around her entire body. Her irises turned a deep red surrounded by a silver that had taken over the rest of her eyes.

Whatever happened, occurred in an instant. She was in front of me one moment the next she was across the base holding the man by his throat, the energy cutting into him from every direction.

We watched in stunned silence as she attacked again and again. Every time he would get away or strike at her she'd have a hold on him no less than a moment later. He started fighting back as hard as he could, throwing kicks and fire. He somehow had managed to fend her off for short burst of time, fire being the only attacks she intentionally avoided, but he wore himself out quickly. She never seemed to break a sweat.

In a last effort to escape he broke free and broke into a run towards the rest of us, screaming at the top of his lungs.

But it was too late.

Not even two meters in front of me he stopped dead in his tracks, her hand sticking through his throat as the energy ripped his body to shreds.

Now it was just us and N/N, I hear someone collapse behind me, some of the others starting into panic attacks. Watching the energy start to die down from around her my mind finally processes what just happened and I find myself on my knees vomiting all over the floor.

When my stomach settles I look up to see N/N standing above me, the final pieces of energy and glow fading from her eyes and body. She falls to her knees and into my shoulder as blood pours out of her mouth and the now unblocked wounds in her body. Panic immediately rushes through me as she starts violently shaking and hyperventilating.

I immediately pick her up, trying to ignore the extreme pain in my back and rush her down into the top floor of the base with everyone else attempting to rush in behind me.

"Felix, Chase, and Marzia bring me every medical kit we have now!! Everyone else start building the equipment she scanned, if you don't have enough materials take apart the barrier, pieces of the base, anything you can use!! GO!"

Everyone instantly scrambles into action, Beth starting with making a hospital bed giving me a place to finally put her down on. I place her on the bed as carefully as I can, Chase returning with four medical kits and rushing to hand me gauze and bandaging. Chase and I start covering and holding the most severe injuries closed while Felix and Marzia finally come back with a dozen more med. boxes and jump in to help stop the bleeding.

I instruct the others on how to attach her to the monitors and IV, trying to calm down and figure out how the fuck I'm going to close these wounds. I suddenly remember watching her save that infant reefback, and my mind becomes clear finally knowing there might be a chance to save her.

"Mark! Go to the blueprints and find the cauterizing technology, ASAP!"

"Got it!" He responds.

Hearing the fear in his voice I realize that I have to be the one to prevent everyone from panicking. It's just me this time, and if I can't stay calm they definitely won't be able to and the possibility of her survival will fall to near zero.

I take a calming breath while Mark finishes the machine and hurriedly rolls it over to me. I quickly grab the tool and turn it on allowing the wound in her shoulder to open. My mind goes into tunnel vision as I cauterize one bleed after another, careful not to burn the wrong things together. Without a word I move on to the next big opening, Chase moving his hands out of the way and get back to working as fast as I can.

"Chase, do you know anything about sewing?"

"I.. uh.. yeah! Sort of.." he stutters.

"I need you to try and sew the wound I just finished closed, it's okay if it's messy and imperfect we just need to get it closed. Can you do that?"

He visibly relaxes at the confidence in my voice and nods to me, getting out the supplies he needs in order to begin.

"Marzia, find the Medical PDA and tell me if anyone matches her blood type."

"Okay!"

She runs to do as asked, Chase hurriedly and nervously starting on the larger opening. Felix moves off of the gash he'd been covering when I move to start in on it and takes to trying to stitch the last one closed.

"Seán!" Marzia runs up behind me," She has the same type as Sam, Amy, and you."

Sam rushes up, removing the top parts of his suit to stand just behind N/N's head.

"Take it, I'm the least injured you should use as much as you can from me first." He announces.

I finally finish cauterizing the last of the open wounds and rush to transfuse his blood over to her. When I finally got them connected I moved back just in time for the others to finish stitching her up. It was extremely messy and looks to be weak, but they were holding and right now that's all that matters.

Her vitals start dropping fast and I watch her left lung shrink down abnormally, her lung collapsed. She never taught me how to intubate but she did briefly explain it in a random conversation, I have to try and go off of what she explained or she's gonna die.

My limbs tingle from the constant flow of adrenaline as I try to see where this damn tube is going. I push it in and connect it to the other machine and rush to grab the stethoscope. Her lungs both rise with oxygen, oh thank fuck I did it right. Her vitals stabilize as much as they can with her current condition and I look back to the blade still stuck in her abdomen.

Grabbing the handle tight I make sure everyone is ready to help however I need them to. Counting to three I yank the short sword from her body, trying to keep it as steady as possible so as not to cut her more before tossing it out of everyone's way.

Quickly taking the cauterizing tool from Sam, I go back to working through the wound from back to front. It simultaneously feels like hours and mere moments when I finally finish the cauterizing and start the sutures.

By the time I was done with the sutures and bandaging, as well as switching the transfusion to Amy the sun had started to set. Somehow, we had gotten her stable. She's unconscious but stable and I'm too afraid to think on the possibility of her not waking up.

I looked around to everyone in the room and realized how badly everyone was hurt from the little contact we'd had with the men. I need to make sure no one is bleeding internally or hurt to badly, and I could use something non-emergent to focus on for a little while.

~~

It took a few hours, but I've managed to get everyone looked over. A few sprains, cuts and bruises but thankfully no one is horribly injured aside from N/N. Sitting down on the second hospital bed we set beside her, the pain and exhaustion in my body finally catches up with me. It feels like every muscle, every bone in my body, is screaming in pain. I have no energy left in me, but I'm afraid that if I go to sleep when I wake up she'll be gone. For real, this time. If it weren't for the fear still streaming through me, I'd probably have passed out by now.

Felix walks back into the room and sits beside me.

"Everyone's gone to their rooms for the night," He sighed,"You were.. amazing. You were so calm and collected, it really made the rest of us know you could do this. Thanks to you everyone might be able to sleep tonight."

"Everyone accept me." I whisper.

He gently squeezes my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.

"She's gonna be alright, you really should get some sleep."

"I don't think I can."

"Tell you what, I'll stay up and watch her while you sleep for a few hours. If anything happens I'll wake you."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! Besides, don't want the new doctor to get sick from not sleeping."

We share a small laugh, and I lay myself down on the bed. He pats my shoulder and I wince hard, damn my back hurts like hell.

"I can't believe we didn't think to try and check up on you." He groaned.

"None if you know how to, so it makes sense not to think about it."

"Can you tell me how to check what hurts?"

I sit up carefully, grabbing my scanner and handing it to him.

"My back got hit pretty badly, if you could just scan my lower spine I can look at what comes up."

"Can do."

He gets up and walks around the bed, stopping behind me giving me a quick scan. I pick up the PDA just as it updates and he comes around to sit beside me again.

"So what are we looking at."

"These two dark spots on my last few spinal segments are cracks in the bone," I say, pointing along the image," And these splotches are bleeding spots. I'm gonna get one hell of a bruise but it's nothing life threatening, the cracks could get worse though if I'm not careful. I'm gonna be in pain for a long while."

"Jesus, dude. I'm glad you're not gonna die, but damn you got beat up."

"Yeah, well it's not like there's anything I can do about it now."

"You can get your ass to bed."

"I'm not leaving her side, I'll sleep here."

"Alright, whatever just go the fuck to sleep already." He laughed.

"Fiiiiiine." I whined, jokingly.

Laying myself back down, I close my eyes and start falling asleep in seconds. I didn't even know it was possible to be this exhausted.


	27. Post Traumattic Night

**Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter seems a little slow, I just really felt we needed a little down time with the situation.**

**Felix's POV**

"Wake up! Seán wake up!" I shout, attempting to hold him still.

He suddenly opens his eyes and bolts upright, still struggling to catch his breath and calm down. This is the third time he's had a really bad nightmare in a row, and the third time I've had to wake him. I thought getting rest would help him, but he only seems even more exhausted as his body sags against the bed frame.

"Same one?"

"yeah." He breathed.

Considering what just happened I'm not shocked he's having nightmares about N/N dying. Considering what I keep hearing I think everyone is having nightmares, which is part of why I haven't tried yet.

"Has anything happened?" He asked groggily.

"Her heart rate spiked for a minute, but so did her brain monitor thing so I think she was dreaming."

"I'm surprised she isn't just completely out of it."

"Yeah, me too. Did she ever talk to you about what that weird power state does to a person?"

He sighed heavily, dropping his legs over the bedside. His eyes never leave her when he's awake.

"No, I know as much as you do. We didn't exactly have all the time in the world when she got home," His voice broke," She just came back to us Felix, I can't.. I can't do this."

I gently squeeze his shoulder while he quietly starts to cry, trying my best not to let my own tears take over like they did during his first nap. I wish there were something I could do to help him feel better, to help her get better faster but I'm just as helpless as the rest of the group. The only person that can do anything for her already did, now all we can do is wait and be there for each other.

A few minutes later he calms himself down and thanks me for the comfort; I remind him this is as much a comfort to me as it is to him. It takes a while to convince him to leave her with me, but I manage to get him to go to the restroom and clean up a little. At least getting all of that blood off should help some, or at least that's what I'm hoping for.

Marzia comes up to me and kisses my cheek before sitting down. Her eyes are still red and puffy from crying. She watches N/N with a solemn expression and exhaustion covering her features.

"Do you think she'll wake up?"

"I don't know."

She sighs heavily, wiping away a stray tear from her eye.

"I can't believe Tessa's dead." She whispers.

"Me neither," I take her hand,"I may not have liked her but she was still a person. She was still with us this whole time."

"Beth is absolutely torn apart, they've been friends since they were kids. I've been sitting with her for a few hours, and we've been trying to comfort each other."

"Is she gonna be okay alone?"

"Sam is with her now, so she's not alone. She was finally getting to sleep when I left."

"That's good at least. Do you need me to come to bed?"

"If you could, it would help a lot." She smiled weakly.

"Okay, go on back to bed and I'll be in as soon as Seán comes back."

"He must be having an awful time, what with being to late to save Tessa and everything that happened with N/N afterwards."

"He's definitely struggling, but he did get little bits of sleep. Though I doubt he'll get anymore tonight."

She nods slightly as she gets back to her feet, giving me a tight hug. She gently squeezed N/N's hand before heading back to our room. I don't know what we're going to do, everything feels so wrong and terrifying. Just the thought of going back out scares me, but we're going to have to if we want to eat and survive.

Seán came back up the ladder looking much cleaner and a little more relaxed. I stood up and offered him a hug, that he gratefully accepted before going back to sit down.

"Marzia wants me to go lie down with her, are you gonna be alright out here?"

"I'll be fine, go take care of your self and your wifey." He chuckled.

"Alright, man. I'll see you in the morning."

He suddenly jerks to the side, looking around frantically. What the hell?

"Inuchat?" He asks somewhat loudly.

"What the fuck is an 'Inuchat'?" I ask.

His attention turns to the windows and locks on something. I follow his eyes and see a dozen of those cuttlefish things just swimming in place, looking in at us. He walks over to the window and sits beside where they are, looking mildly worried and confused.

"We can still talk to each other? I thought when N/N stopped holding us together the connection would disappear."

Okay now I'm totally lost.

"Seán, what are you doing?"

"This is Inuchat," he points to the center one," And it's family. They helped N/N get back home."

"And you.. can you talk to them?"

"N/N connected us so we can talk the way she does to everything else. I guess whatever she did left a lasting connection."

"That's.. actually really cool. What are they saying?"

"They wanted to know what happened, and if N/N is okay." He sighed," They're worried too. Heh, they also wanna know who you are."

I wave at the little group of fish and they all wave one of their tentacle things at me, they look like they're smiling.

"Well, they think you're friendly." He smiled,"I might go out to see them when the suns up."

"Because, you don't wanna leave her alone?"

"Yeah," He waved back at the cuttlefish," You should get back to Marzia."

"Alright, night Seán."

"Night, Felix."

**~N/N's POV~**

I wish he could see me sitting in front of him, but 99% of non-mutants can't see pure souls. And 99% of non-mutants aren't able to move their souls around when the body is comatose. I can't walk more than a few feet from my body since I'm still alive, but it's not like I could really do anything anyways so that's not a big deal.

He's been here with me all night, barely getting any sleep. A couple of times I managed to calm him down so Felix wouldn't have to wake him up, but I could only do so much.

We're sitting by the window and he's talking to Inuchat and it's family about what happened and my current stability. It's good to see him smile a little, not completely occupied by the situation. I'm glad I let the link stick.

I remember the first time I got to someone to late, the first time I had to pronounce someone dead. The first time I was pumped full of Adrenalin just trying to save someone that I was told to give up on who by some miracle became stable. It's heartbreaking, exhausting, terrifying, and it leaves you constantly on edge all the time. Fearful and grief stricken all the time, I'm glad he's able to stop and be calm for a moment.

I just hope my body will let me settle in sooner rather than later, so I can finally wake up.


	28. Awakening

**Amy's POV**

It's been almost a week since N/N went into comatose and everyone is really starting to get worried. I've tried to keep everyone as positive as I can by pointing out how her vitals are a little more normal every day, but that can only do so much when she's still lying there like that. Her skin has gotten so pale I sometimes have to remind myself her heart is still beating.

It's my turn to keep an eye on her and Felix decided to take everyone to the solid island for the day since we hadn't gone yet, and Everyone needed a distraction. I was more than happy to stay with her while they're gone especially since I really don't care to see the islands. I don't know why, but I just don't feel comfortable going up to land until we get home.

I spend most of the day scrolling through a search engine that was buried in the PDA's we found, turns out they've been keeping logs of what they've learned about Mutants and their culture back home. There's a whole lot to learn, and it's a good way to keep myself busy.

I finish reading about the ranking system they run on and stop at the title of the next section, it's about that soul energy state N/N went into just before she went into her coma. I put down my PDA to look back at N/N, I wonder if she knew this would happen. If she did it or if it really is something that just happens in a dire situation. I'm pretty sure she'd have done it even if she thought it would have killed her.

Gently, I take her hand in mine and watch her face. Sometimes her face will twitch or move when she's touched, but not always. I'd hoped maybe it would help her wake up, but it seems to happen less and less. Her hands are a bit cold, but that could just be my mind finding problems where there aren't any. I pull her blanket over her further just in case.

I hear the hatch downstairs unlock and take a look out the window, the Cyclops is back so it's them. Wow the sun is almost down, it doesn't feel like a whole day passed. Beth is the first one to make it up the stairs, she glances at us a moment before silently walking to her and Sam's room. She hasn't spoken much since the attack.

"Hey," Marzia says coming up the ladder,"The Island was amazing. The plant life and the huge metal building was just enormous."

She comes to sit beside me as everyone else comes to check on her individually.

"Did you spend all day reading about her people again?"

"Yeah, they are a very interesting people. There's so much to learn, especially since their written history is so much longer than ours."

"What did you read about today?"

"Their ranking system. Apparently they never planned on having a rank 5 until the man who saved everyone a few thousand years ago."

"I wonder what rank N/N is."

She takes her hand as I had done before and gently rubs circles into it.

"Based in what I just read, I'd say a rank 4. She's got a good variety of skills and a whole lot of strength and control. That's just an educated guess though."

"Wow, that's pretty good right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

Marzia gently pats me on the back before heading back to her room allowing Seán to take her place next to me. He tries so hard to be positive, but I can see the strain of everything starting to weigh him down. He gently placed his hand on her arm, watching her breathe as he usually does when he's particularly worried.

"What's worrying you?" I ask quietly.

"I just," He clears the break in his voice," what if she doesn't wake up? She's been out of it for so long.. what if we lose her too?"

"..didn't I tell you I've been through hell before?.."

I watch Seán suddenly become stiff and intently focused, shallowing his breathing but skyrocketing his heart rate. I jump to my feet immediately throwing my attention to where the small whisper came from. I feel my whole body start to shiver with an overflow of emotions when I see her open eyes staring back at me.

"Oh my God!!" I feel myself scream, pulling her into a tight embrace.

I hear the others start rushing into the room worried about the sudden commotion. I loosen up at hearing her slightly pained noise, though I'm not ready to let go just yet. I feel another pair of arms wrap around us, so I look up to see Marzia sobbing into N/N's shoulder. Before long everyone is pulled together into a group hug, save for Beth who is standing in stunned silence beside us all.

"Don't get me wrong I appreciate the affection, but I need to breathe." N/N chuckles lightly.

Everyone backs off enough to give her some space.

"I'm sorry I scared you guys so much, I didn't know any of this was going to happen." N/N sighed.

Beth half scoffs behind me, the tears in her voice rather prominent. I don't think anyone's paying enough attention to each other to notice, aside from myself and N/N. Everyone proceeds to talk to her about what she's missed while Seán carefully gives her an exam. I can see her face is a mixture of a knowing look and a very small smile. I wonder if there's some way she still knew what was going on around her while she was out.

"So, I know that I've been unconscious for a while but my mind was still pretty active. Would it be alright if I slept soon?"

"Of coarse," Marzia pat her head," We're just so happy you're alright."

"Thanks Mar." N/N responded.

**~N/N's POV~**

I watch everyone start to file out of the room, when I grab Seán's hand to catch his attention. He crouched down beside me, holding tightly to my hand.

"What's up?"

"I'm gonna speak to Beth for a bit before going to bed, alright? We need a minute."

He side eyed her in concern before looking back to me and nodding slightly, kissing my head and heading down stairs.

"Hey, Beth?"

She stops mid stride before slowly turning to face me, she can't seem to meet my eyes. Poor Beth must have been struggling so much this past week, and everyone's been so worried about me they haven't stopped to help her.

"Would you mind sitting with me a minute?"

She stalks over and hops up in the bed beside me, gently playing with the sewing of her suit.

"I'm so sorry, Beth." I whisper.

She looks at me suddenly very confused, and a bit stunned.

"What?"

"I lived," Her eyebrows furrow deeper,"You and Tessa have been friends for most of your lives. Both her and I were in horrible situations we had little chance to survive through, but I lived. I'm alive, and your best friend is dead."

"You shouldn't-

"Beth."

She closes her mouth and stares at me with tears in here eyes.

"It's okay to feel the way you do. Feelings aren't something people can control, no matter what we like to tell ourselves. It's only our actions that follow that we have any control over. Pretending you're not feeling what you are, it's just not healthy. You shouldn't just bottle it up. It's okay, really."

Tears start to spill down her face and her breathing becomes a shaky mess.

"Why? Why did it have to be like this? You're a good person, and you haven't done the awful things she has since we've gotten here but that doesn't mean she couldn't be a good person too! She was my best friend, she was like my sister and I loved her!" She melts into a wailing mess of tears and snot as she continues to finally let her feeling out.

"One of the last things I ever said to her was that were not friends anymore, how fucked up is that!? Why couldn't it have been you!? I know you're a good person, and I care about you but no matter how hard I try I can't stop wondering why you weren't the one who died! I know that probably makes me a horrible person, and I'm sorry, but I just.. I can't.. I.."

I carefully wrap my arms around Beth's shaking body while she lets her tears run loose. She's devolved into a weeping mess of 'I'm so sorry's and 'I'm horrible's but I continue to hold her. I gently rub her back and hum quietly while I wait for her crying to die down so I can respond to her. Thankfully it only takes a few minutes for her tears to dry out. I pull back slightly and wipe the remaining tears from her face, as she continues to sniffle.

"You're not horrible, Beth. Weather or not people say it out loud when these things happen it's completely normal to have those thoughts. You've just lost someone you love very much, it's okay to be angry about it," I smile at her puffy eyes staring up at me," And I know that if you were able to do anything you'd have kept us both alive. I know better than to take offense to you wanting to save someone you've loved for so long first. I'm not upset at you in any way, in fact I'm proud of you for letting yourself talk about it."

She whimpers quietly and pulls me back into the hug in a quiet thanks before pushing herself up onto her feet. She finally meets my eyes and gives me a warm smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

And with that, she left. After watching her go into their room I slide myself onto my feet and try to ignore the pins and needles running through my legs as I move towards the ladder. Now that I've gotten the chance to help Beth, it's time to see if I can help Seán.


	29. Y/N

**Author's Note: This one is pretty short but I wanted to have this part on it's own.**

**N/N's POV**

I make my way down to our room trying to think of what to say to him. This whole time he's been so overwhelmed with pain and fear over weather or not I'd wake up, trying so hard to stay positive he wasn't even allowing himself to experience his feelings. I wonder if I have the energy to give him enough support to let them out.

I take a deep breath before stepping inside the room. Seán is leaning up against the far wall, staring out the window when my presence catches his attention. The look on his face is painful to see, he looks completely overwhelmed and afraid. He obviously wants to come over to me but looks terrified that he might somehow break me, or that I might disappear. Honestly after everything that happened, I can't blame him for feeling that way.

I approach him and calmly take his hand, leading him over to sit on the bed. I turn to face him and gently pull him down so his head rests on my shoulder, I'm not surprised to feel his tears run down my arm no more then a moment later. Before long he's got a death grip around my waist while his whole body shakes with his breathing. I wish there were more I could do, but I know that what he really needs is just to have someone he can cry with.

Every hiccup and sob is another shot of pain through my guts and chest, but I continue to breathe deeply and remain calm. Eventually when he lets all of his pain and stress out, he should be able to calm himself by following my breathing. Hopefully he won't be in pain for too much longer, it's been absolute torture having to just sit by and watch him suffer this past week.

When he does calm down he slumps against me feeling the exhaustion from the past two weeks coming down on him. I quietly hum a random little tune and adjust the two of us to the backboard of the bed, that way when he completely falls asleep we'll already be comfortable.

With a sleepy look on his face he looks up at me and smiles through the dried tear streaks on his face.

"Thank you for letting me cry on you. And for coming back.." he sighs

"y/n" I whisper, trying to ignore the sting of fear going through me.

His brow furrows and he lifts himself up slightly on his forearms.

"What?"

"My name.. it's Y/N." I can see the fear on my face reflected in his eyes.

He watches me for a moment and I realize how tense I am when my muscles start to burn. He gives me the most sincere smiles and kisses me lightly before pulling me back into an embrace.

"I love you, Y/N."  
  
  
  
  
  


"I love you too, Seán."


	30. Home

**Seán's POV**

A blinding light coming in from both windows woke me up from the deep sleep I'd fallen into. Confusion and sleep still fogging up my mind I sit up keeping my eyes mostly covered. Glancing between my fingers I realize Y/N isn't on the bed anymore and my eyes and brain finally snap awake in a panic until I see her standing by the left window.

I walk up beside her and gently pull her back from the window, I don't know what's going on this time but I'm not about to risk her being taken from me again. She takes my hand in a comforting gesture as she continues to watch and listen. She presses our palms together and I can suddenly hear people speaking in my head, she's sharing her gift with me again.

"Don't you think landing right in their base is a bit risky?" One man asked.

"How do you figure?" Another responded, lazily.

"They were just attacked last week, and by my brutish son no less. He _killed_ one of them!"

He sounds both sad and very disappointed. Then again, what good parent wouldn't be after what happened?

"I guess thats a good point, but it's a little late for that. I'm sorry we weren't able to keep an eye on your son. We'll just have to convince them of the truth regardless of what he did. We know they want to go home and we came here to take them back so we need to show them we mean no harm. Any ideas?"

"The Mutant I put in with them. Have you been keeping up with them? I know you don't watch the live footage as much as the rest of the world does. She's taken the lead for the most part. If we can prove to her that we're allies the rest will likely follow her instincts. Besides, she can read our minds if she wants to so she'll know we're sincere when we meet with them."

"Good plan, I'm planting down the landing gear. Strap in."

The voices cut out when she lets go of my hand and motions for me to follow her. Almost everyone is out in the main room when we come out when the whole base suddenly rumbles and shakes around us before calming down moments later. That must have been the ship landing on top of the base.

"Everyone grab anything you want to keep from your rooms and hurry back here." Y/N commands, going back to grab her own things.

I run into our room and grab my heated blade, the Leviathan tooth, and the medical PDA wrapping them in my dry clothes in order to hold them easier. Y/N already had her clothes wrapped around her things when I came in and is crouched by the window.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"They're almost here." She responds, keeping her eyes to the glass.

Before I could ask who the family of cuttlefish suddenly show up and she creates a sphere with the water around them before pushing her hand through the glass, forcing it open just enough to pull them through before bending it back together. That has to be the wildest telekinetic thing I've seen her do so far.

We rush back into the main room as the others pile in, gathering by the wall furthest from the hatch as Y/N instructed. Not a Moment after everyone is huddled together the entrance hatch opens and two middle aged men walk inside with somewhat fearful and sorry looks on their faces. There's a long moment of silence, Y/N stand tall and strong before us.

"We are-

"I know who you are," She interrupts calmly," I'm more interested in where everyone's families are, and of course how safe it is back home."

"I take it you started listening to us before we landed." The slightly older man chuckled nervously.

"Indeed." She responded flatly.

"Everyone's families are waiting at the landing site, as soon as we get you all home you will see your loved ones." The other man cuts in.

"And what of the war?" She questioned.

The first man smiled brightly at her before responding.

"The wars are over, the fighting has ended. With all the influential people we had in these places people were able to band together just as we'd hoped! Especially since the actual leaders weren't there to make the final decisions. Everyone's started working together to rebuild as of this morning! We still have a long way to go with the acceptance of your people, but so far nothing has turned into a problem." The mans whole body seems to brighten with his words.

"What right did you have to do this to us?" She asked, unnervingly calmly.

"We.." He sighed heavily, the sorry look returning," We know now there was a better way to do this. Other ways to end all the suffering without hurting and traumatizing mostly innocent people. We were doing what we thought was right, but we we're wrong. We had no right, and we are all so sorry for everything you've been put through because of us. I wish we could make it up to you, but we know we cannot. The only thing we can do is apologize and ask for your forgiveness before taking you home."

Both men became tearful as he spoke his piece. I looked back to Y/N and watcher her stare them down, analyzing them. She's testing and searching for any reason they might be lying, but she doesn't find anything. She finally relaxes her stance and approaches the men, offering them her right hand. Overjoyed at her decision they both excitedly shake her hand, a few small tears falling down their cheeks.

"I'm glad you were able to learn from your mistakes," She turns back to us, a small smile on her face," Let's go home."

The tears and cheers that momentarily take over bring another smile to the men's faces as they lead us out and into an enormous gray ship. Y/N stops at the entrance to watch everyone go inside safely before following behind me. I notice her pause a moment to look one of the older women in the eye before returning to the back of our group, I really hope that wasn't anything bad.

"How long until we're home?" Marzia asked the men leading us.

"This planet is at the opposite orbit of Earth. So if we remain in place about 12 hours, but I'm sure you all want to be home so we are going to head towards it as it comes round. So about 6 hours." The younger of the two responded.

"That's amazing." Mark smiled.

"I can't believe we're going home!" Sam jumped excitedly.

"Thinking of being back home feels almost.. foreign now." I mention.

"That may be true," Y/N smiles," But soon enough you'll feel like it's home again. Trust me, I've had to be away from home for long periods of time before. A couple of weeks has a much shorter affect than months do, and we all have each other."

"Well aren't you just the queen of cheesy!" Amy smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

Everyone laughed as we finally reached a a circular room with walls lined with safety chairs.

"We can stay here for the duration of the trip, strap in for take off." The second man said before walking off to speak with another person.

Y/N has been side eyeing the woman we saw when we came in since she started following us, this would be the worst time for something to go wrong. Everyone sits down in one of the chairs strapping the heavy duty seat belts around us. As I'm about to sit Y/N blocks my way.

"Not this seat, take the one beside it and I'll sit on the other side of you."

"Okay."

The last person not strapped in is the woman.

"Martha, take your seat." The captain commands.

She stares at the seat beside me before glaring at Y/N for a moment. She doesn't acknowledge her. The woman, Martha, proceeds to lean down and adjust some screws and bolts at the base of the seat before sitting down.

"What was that about?" The captain asked suspiciously.

"It looked a bit loose." She replied.

"She loosened them in hopes that one of my friends would take that seat." Y/N interrupted,"She's a member of the group who believe humans should be enslaved."

Before Martha got the change to react and run her seat belts knotted around her, effectively trapping her in her seat.

"If you don't mind, I'll be taking her to my peoples council so they can hold her until trial."

"Uh.. of coarse." The mans stuttered.

Everyone visibly leaned away from Martha, fearful of what she might do. Y/N takes my hand and I can almost feel the fear that all of her people will be seen that way. I pray to God they won't be.  
  
~~  
  


"Alright everyone, take your positions. We're about to land." The captain announced.

Everyone quickly returned to their previous seats aside from Y/N switching with me to be nearer to Martha, she's always so watchful. We all put in the ear plugs provided by the crew just before the ship starts it's descend. Surprisingly the turbulence doesn't last longer than a few moments before the ship turns around and begins adjusting us back to Earth's gravity. It feels almost like a roller coaster.

After what feels like half an hour we finally land and all I can think about is seeing my brother. Hugging him, seeing and being home again, hopefully introducing Y/N. Ah, I can't wait!

"Alright, everyone needs to get up slowly and move carefully until you feel readjusted. The doors will open for us to leave in about five minutes." The captain told us.

Y/N used pieces of cloth and metal she was told were for extra use to create a torso harness for Martha, much to the woman's disdain. By the time Y/N makes a chain like leash attached to her wrist the doors open and everyone stares in awe, we're really here. We're home.

Somewhat fearfully we gather together and walk through the exit down the ramp. We're in Arizona, judging by the sign on the fence around the landing area.

"Seán!!"

I turn to my left to see my brother running towards me leading the rest of my family just behind him.

I yell out in tears, running to meet him.

My brother rams into me with a tight hug. Everyone following and crying with words of love and worry. I awkwardly greet the rest of my family, feeling both happy and unsure about seeing them before another embrace with my brother. We spend several minutes talking and hugging back and forth when I decide it's time to introduce him.. well them to Y/N.

I look back to where she's standing and I see her just staring at everyone, alone. Where is her family? I thought they said everyone's families would be here. I look around, and see that everyone else's families are here and I finally realize it.

She doesn't have a family.

No wonder she looks so solemn. I turn back to my brother who had clearly noticed I was distracted and I smiled brightly at him.

"I'd really like you to meet my girlfriend."  
  
  
  


**~Y/N's POV~**

It only takes a few moments for everyone to finally reunite with their families once we leave the ship. One of the council members is waiting for me, as I had asked the captain to bring them. She looks at me with the same pity and discomfort everyone has since the accident, I'd almost forgotten how much I hate it. Yezimee nods to me in acknowledgement before taking Martha and jumping back to the nearest prison base, leaving me to stand alone. I wish they'd at least brought Duke.. Then I wouldn't be alone now.

I look around and see the love, relief, and pure joy overcoming my friends and their families. Chase is spinning around with his children, Seán is hugging his brother, and Mark is holding his mother tight. Amy is holding her father's hand and talking happily while Felix and Marzia's families take turns touching Marzia's stomach regardless of how small it still is. Sam and Beth are praying with their families gathered together, tears on everyone's faces.

Everyone looks so happy, overflowing with love, they look whole. I can't help but notice how Amy's dad has the same haircut as my grandfather, and the same ring as my grandmother. Mark's mom has the same laugh as mine did. Chase's son smiles like my brother and father, ear to ear and slightly open mouthed. Seán's brother has my Uncle's eyes, and Beth's cousin has the same long legs my girl did.

If there were ever a time since they passed that I would give anything to see them again, it would be now. But I can't. They're gone and there's nothing anyone could do about it. I feel the sorrow and the pain of what I've lost flow through every part of my body. My throat burns and tears fall. I can't tell which part feels more empty, my chest or the pit of my stomach. Just before my body started shaking a hand in my shoulder shakes me out of my thoughts.

Looking up I'm met with Seán's worried eyes, his whole family standing just behind him staring at me.

"Oh," I clear my throat," Hello, it's nice to meet you all." I attempt a smile.

"And you told _me_ not to ignore my feelings," Seán joked," It's okay to be sad about your family."

My body finally lets go of the rest of my emotions, causing me to shake violently with every sound that escapes by lips. Seán took me into a hug while I continued to cry. I know it's not fair to wonder why their families are still around when mine is gone, but I also know it's not abnormal to be thinking it. I feel multiple hands gently touch my back and shoulders causing me to look up from his chest.

His brother is trying to help comfort me and our friends have come together to join him. Amy steps a little closer to speak to me.

"I can't imagine how hard it must be to see all of our families reunite when yours died so suddenly, but we're all here for you. We love you, and we're not gonna leave you on your own," she squeezed my shoulder lightly," We're you're family now."

A new wave of emotion and tears overwhelmed me as I pulled Amy into a crushing hug, our other friends joining in moments later. There's so much left to do so many battles left to fight, but I'm not alone anymore. I have a family again.

We're family.  
  
  


~ ** _The End_** ~


End file.
